Behind the Green Door
It rains on the faces,
On my live friends' faces.
Those who cover their heads with a blanket.
And it rains on my dead friends' faces,
Those who are covered by nothing
--Rain on a Battlefield, Yehuda Amichai
The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves
--Julius Caesar, Shakespeare
________
What follows are two critiques on photos in the August VFW Magazine ("Ramadi: A Tale of Two Cities.") The photos and story are by Tim Dyhouse, who has done good coverage for the VFW. But I would suggest an elision of opening lines to the borrowed Dicken's title, simply: "It was the worst of times." While it is possible these are staged photos for public consumption, still they should reflect proper infantry combat knowledge and and tactics.
Since the pictures are flawed, Ranger wonders what is the state of training at the lowest levels of command for deployed U.S. forces. In "Dick & Dynamite" Ranger noted the 82nd Airborne's overkill style of explosives employment; now we are talking about USMC personnel actually engaged in ground combat, and how they leave themselves vulnerable in their positioning.
The cover photo shows a fire-team oriented to a threat. Note that only the middle rifleman is prone and prepared to fire with his rifle. Note the Marine next to the green door has his weapon pointed at the ground. In addition, the Squad Automatic Gunner is kneeling with his weapon also pointed at the ground.
All weapons should be pointed downrange and ready to engage and to bring maximum firepower to bear. The squad automatic weapon (SAW) should be the first and foremost weapon situated and ready to suppress and potential targets.
Why engage with a burst-regulated rifle when a fully automatic, belt-fed weapon is right there to be used? It is not a token weapon to be toted place to place. That is why the U.S. government pays $15,000 per SAW. They are there to be properly utilized.
Most serious to this Ranger is the fact that a squad-level unit is backed into a dead-end street with no escape route. Forget that image is metaphor for the entire Iraqi project. In this position, an adversary has grazing fire, and the Marines here are lined up like ducks in a row. One burst or RPG round would cause multiple casualties.
Further, there is a break in the far wall where an adversary could fire through with any type of direct fire weapon. The Marines show no 360 degree defense by not placing a rifleman oriented to the rear. The lack of employment of this element is a recipe for disaster.
These points may seem minor to a casual reader, but it is these small, overlooked details that get military personnel killed. There is no forgiveness to small errors in combat. Every detail is important to longevity.
Ranger is not attacking good, brave, dedicated U.S. military personnel. This is an attack on a military command structure that is deploying troops into harm's way without proper individual and small unit training.
If these photos are indicative of the small units, then what is the "big picture"? Bravery does not trump proper tactics.
These pictures depict a military without a grasp of proper small unit employment. The fault lies with the command structure.
Labels: Marines in ramadi, VFW magazine August 07
posted by rangeragainstwar at 3:05 PM
4 Comments:
I've often wondered about this. In all the pictures I've seen from Iraq, the soldiers are carrying their guns pointing downward and the stock in that awkward position almost above their shoulder. It seems like it would take a while to get that thing into firing position. Is there a reason for that style? When did it start?
bill,
The first I've ever noticed of that style was with the British Army and their bullpup-style rifle. That's from 20 years ago.
(2) I also believe they carry them muzzle down b/c the current series in use are muzzle-heavy.
(3) They may carry them that way for safety reasons. Note: their fingers are not in the trigger guards, either, which adds to the reactions time, but is safer in non-combat environments. But remember, these are combat soldiers and not policeman.
(4) In a combat environment, the rifle muzzle should be pointed at the direction of your eyes, to maximize your reflex time. In the VN war, we called that "quick kill," or instinctive-type shooting.
This is my favorite method for everyday usage.
i too have been shocked at the laxness displayed in something as basic as muzzle discipline in the film and photos coming out of iraq. another big benefit of keeping the muzzle in line with the eyes is the reduction in unintentional shootings. i have seen far too many SAW operators doing the rambo "from the hip" spraying to imagine myself sharing a part of the line with guys like that. one of our most standard weapons on the teams was the venerable M60, fired from the shoulder with both eyes looking downrange.
we were also schooled in the "off" hand method of pistol shooting. where right handed people use the weapon in their left hand, the wrist is then grasped by the right with the thumb and middle fingers supporting and locking it while the right index finger is placed along the blade of the palm. the shooter then points their right index finger. very fast. very deadly. all the left hand is really called upon to do is to squeeze the trigger. it takes training and practice, but once learned, it becomes second nature.
muzzle discipline, repetitions, training, training, training. these are what increase both effectiveness and survival rates. we used to tell our gasping and sweating cherries to "train hard, fight easy."
gaius marius described the training of his legions by saying that
our exercises are battles without bloodshed.
our battles are exercises with killing.
i don't think he would have gone hunting with our vice president.
m.b.,
Ranger has never been an advocate of pistol use in combat. They are ideal for medics and personnel that need only personal protection in a defensive mode.
MG and SAW gunners would be likely pistol toters as a personal defense IF their primary weapon malfunctioned. I'd rather use grenades than a pistol. But they do have a limited function. I'd prefer a shotgun to clear rooms or in entries.
We're on the same page on muzzle discipline . Ranger didn't even consider your idea that it is safer to non-intended shootees. It is important that you see this, because we are there supposedly to protect the citizenry. Supposedly.
The best protection for our troops is to keep them out of elective feel good wars, which is also conducive to longevity.
Ranger mourns our troops, and they are still alive.
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