Lessons Learned In Combat

[Preliator]

My point is that we HAVE learned the lessons, long ago, and we are trying our damnedest to get it out there, but many people would rather play on their PS3 or go golfing than work on the things that save lives.

This really jumped out at me, this statement is very true. I see it every day in my current job, I saw it every day as a patrol officer and I saw it every day (and was just as guilty for about half my career as anyone else) when I was in an infantry unit.

The warrior mindset needs to be cultivated and grown, but along with that a sense of being a professional warrior needs to be cultivated. To many of the troops I worked with (and we had a great unit) did the job as well as they needed to get by, there were few folks that treated the infantry as a profession, something to become a subject matter expert in.

------ETA------
Of course at the same time I firmly believe that we have one of the most well trained and proffessional militaries of modern times. But there is alot of room for improvement.

[RetreatHell]

The warrior mindset needs to be cultivated and grown, but along with that a sense of being a proffessional warrior needs to be cultivated. To many of the troops I worked with (and we had a great unit) did the job as well as they needed to get by, there were few folks that treated the infantry as a profession, something to become a subject matter expert in.

Definitely, man. This is maybe the biggest issue, and you explained it very well.

[Tzook]

Wow. You sir, have an extremely moving, and extremely important story. Thank you.

[Punisher1336]

Your personal story has really hit home with me. I took Advanced Infantry Training at Ft Benning and know exactly what your talking about as far as how a grunt is trained. Your right, its not good enough. I plan on taking a tactical carbine course so I will know how it should be done. Thanks for your service, one grunt to another.

[D.S. Brown]

Paul,

Saying thanks for your service doesn't begin to cover it, but it's what I've got. Thank you for the service and sacrifice you made to share this lesson with all of us.

To me the pictures of you training in your wheelchair, are humbling and motivating, as well as one of the greatest examples of mind set. You are clearly not out of the fight.

I'm a little intimidated in taking some carbine courses. This 45 year old form Army infantryman's knees and ankles have seen better days, but I look at those pictures of you, and think that kid can't use his legs, so really what's your (referencing me) excuse. There is none.

Again thanks for your service and sharing your experience. Semper Fi to you Marine.

Best,

Dave

[ClearedHot]

Never assume the enemy does not have similar training, equipment and motivation.

WARNING! Graphic video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=-5g12DhWSs4

The bad guys in the video seem to be professionally trained and are very efficient in carrying out their task. Also the fact that they have Gen 3 NODs is definitely a little unsettling.

[mikeith]

^ anymore links to this clip? deleted from youtube

[Claren]

Yes, a repost of that video would be very informative.

[ClearedHot]

^Found the video hosted on another site: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archiv...ic_state_o.php

[mike11]

love the pictures . its so hard to find places where you can really do realistic training these days aside from driving out to the desert of living in the woods. the indoor ranges where i live wont even let you do mag drills or draw from a holster anymore.