Soldato
ISIS tend to hide amongst the civilian population, so civilian deaths will be happen.
Afghanistan - 20 years on
- Thread starter GreatAuk
- Start date
ISIS tend to hide amongst the civilian population, so civilian deaths will be happen.
Soldato
Either way ISIS need to be destroyed, there is no other outcome except there utter ruin.
Soldato
- Joined
- 25 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 12,650
You can only destroy an ideology through education
Soldato
"The Plan" was the ANA wouldn't lose, given the training, equipment, air support etc that they had but we all know what happens to these "plans" in the face of the enemy, yet seemingly far too many high ranking military officers and politicians don't.
I was really surprised when they mentioned the ages of the soldiers who died.
who's idea what it to have a bunch of 20 year olds in such a position? it just seems like a bad idea.
I don't see how any amount of training could prepare them for the situation they were placed in, surely some more experienced mature soldiers would have been better? people in their mid or late 20s with a bit more experience under their belt.
I hope no soldiers are blamed even if they did fire into the crowd in a panic, it seems they were all way to young for the responsibility placed on their shoulders.
Soldato
Pen has now "left his staff in the hands of the Taliban".
He and his animals left on a plane earlier today - but left his staff behind.
The Taliban are now stopping Afghans leaving Kabul but had they gone to the airport several days ago - as they were supposed to - they would all be safe now. Instead his posturing and demanding his strays were rescued too has resulted in exactly the scenario you postulated.
He is an utter moron putting animals lives ahead of people and if anything happens to them, their blood is on his hands.
Fairly normal for the USMC. You're not going to have an entire section of soldiers who are 25-29, so that would be ranks Sergeant or Staff Sergeant, you're going to have a lot of lower rank and age people in there, and there's nothing wrong with that.
I asked my sons, who were both in the army in the late eighties, early nineties, one went in at 18 and came out at 21, he said that the oldest guy in his unit was 24, the other one went in at 18 and came out at 24, he said that in Northern Ireland they had a 25 y.o. corporal that the 19 and 20 year olds called grandad!
the oldest who died was only 25 though?
you can join the military until about 34 right? so where's all the 25-30+ year olds at? these days are young people the only ones who sign up? or are they just considered expendable cannon fodder at that age
23, 20, 25, 20, ,20, 20, 20, 20, 22, 31, 23 ,23
oh wait one was 31, but look at all those people only 20 years old, can't have had that much experience surely?
do you really want 20 year olds in such a stressful position? I wonder how many of them had experience of manning busy checkpoints where there was a real chance of a terrorist attack.
if a bomb goes off and people fire into the crowd, well if they were also of the same ages at the gate then I can't say I would be surprised.
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Soldato
- Joined
- 28 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 13,000
Was very sad to see the loss of life the other day, it felt inevitable however which probably makes it worse. Feel angry at how it all happened tbh but that is another topic, as for accountability.. forget it.
As for the ages, it is always a case that the majority of the lads/lasses Privates, junior JNCOs are young. It's the way it is, it is generally a young person's game being part of the combat arms. It doesn't mean they are not ready for the situation at all. Just shows again an example of how professional and how when it goes down they step up, regardless of age or generation. Everyone of them will of been trained in stressful environments. Tbh it shows just how great our armed forces can be.
As for the ages, it is always a case that the majority of the lads/lasses Privates, junior JNCOs are young. It's the way it is, it is generally a young person's game being part of the combat arms. It doesn't mean they are not ready for the situation at all. Just shows again an example of how professional and how when it goes down they step up, regardless of age or generation. Everyone of them will of been trained in stressful environments. Tbh it shows just how great our armed forces can be.
Caporegime
Edit
It's not that the top brass don't know, they just don't want to know and if they do know then they project an image of success instead of reality, especially to legislators who control their budget.
Anyone who told the truth was likely pushed out for being a bother/unpatriotic.
Yikes, I did ponder that it would have been a nightmare when I saw the reports about tear-gassing, throwing shooting into the mix is pretty bad though:
That's nonsense, they're not children. Though given the way the US tends to handle this sort of stuff I doubt any of them would be charged over this sort of incident, especially not in this context anyway. Even outright murders has lead to pardons etc..
That's a pretty normal age for a corporal, maybe he meant lance corporal but it still doesn't make much sense. Also re: the other claim of the oldest guy in his unit being 24? That also makes no sense, his particular section sure if they had a 24-year old corporal commanding it but beyond that, nah... that wouldn't be the case a platoon or troop would have a Sgt older than 24 and a company/squadron would have an OC, 2ic, CSM or SSM, CQMS or SQMS etc.. all older than 24.
They don't generally spend 10 years as a private, especially not in the USMC and people in leadership positions don't tend to stand on the gate! As for people joining at 30+, they likely won't join infantry units, it's a young man's game, I don't think you realise how physically demanding soldiering is if you're asking that, plenty of 30 year olds would struggle.
Most of those who died were USMC, the oldest you can join the Marines is 28.
As for stressful, that's what war is, what do you want your 18 year old soldiers to do? Have them sit in camp until 25+ years old? They're trained, so put them to use.
Someone has to do the leg work in war, and generally speaking you don't get the higher ranked (older) people to do it. Manning checkpoints doesn't require a lot of Staff Sergeants.
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Soldato
- Joined
- 16 Aug 2009
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- 8,041
In the words of the song the average age of the american vietnam soldier was 19
Soldato
Looks like out troops are on there way home now , thank god there all safe .
I think the average age of those that stormed the beaches in WWII was 20. The most common age of death for U.S military in Afghanistan is 21.
Yeah, lack of UK aircraft airborne at the moment, although there is a UK C-130 flying into Afghanistan now for some reason.
Caporegime
Don’t know if this has been posted already, but this is a list of the equipment that’s fallen into taliban hands
-2,000 Armored Vehicles Including Humvees and MRAP’s
-75,989 Total Vehicles: FMTV, M35, Ford Rangers, Ford F350, Ford Vans, Toyota Pickups, Armored Security Vehicles etc
-45 UH-60 Blachhawk Helicopters
-50 MD530G Scout Attack Choppers
-ScanEagle Military Drones
-30 Military Version Cessnas
-4 C-130’s
-29 Brazilian made A-29 Super Tocano Ground Attack Aircraft
208+ Aircraft Total
-At least 600,000+ Small arms M16, M249 SAWs, M24 Sniper Systems, 50 Calibers, 1,394 M203 Grenade Launchers, M134 Mini Gun, 20mm Gatling Guns and Ammunition
-61,000 M203 Rounds
-20,040 Grenades
-Howitzers
-Mortars +1,000’s of Rounds
-162,000 pieces of Encrypted Military Comunications Gear
-16,000+ Night Vision Goggles
-Newest Technology Night Vision Scopes
-Thermal Scopes and Thermal Mono Goggles
-10,000 2.75 inch Air to Ground Rockets
-Recconaissance Equipment (ISR)
-Laser Aiming Units
-Explosives Ordnance C-4, Semtex, Detonators, Shaped Charges, Thermite, Incendiaries, AP/API/APIT
-2,520 Bombs
-Administration Encrypted Cell Phones and Laptops all operational
-Pallets with Millions of Dollars in US Currency
-Millions of Rounds of Ammunition including but not limited to 20,150,600 rounds of 7.62mm, 9,000,000 rounds of 50.caliber
-Large Stockpile of Plate Carriers and Body Armor
-US Military HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment Biometrics
-Lots of Heavy Equipment Including Bull Dozers, Backhoes, Dump Trucks, Excavators
-2,000 Armored Vehicles Including Humvees and MRAP’s
-75,989 Total Vehicles: FMTV, M35, Ford Rangers, Ford F350, Ford Vans, Toyota Pickups, Armored Security Vehicles etc
-45 UH-60 Blachhawk Helicopters
-50 MD530G Scout Attack Choppers
-ScanEagle Military Drones
-30 Military Version Cessnas
-4 C-130’s
-29 Brazilian made A-29 Super Tocano Ground Attack Aircraft
208+ Aircraft Total
-At least 600,000+ Small arms M16, M249 SAWs, M24 Sniper Systems, 50 Calibers, 1,394 M203 Grenade Launchers, M134 Mini Gun, 20mm Gatling Guns and Ammunition
-61,000 M203 Rounds
-20,040 Grenades
-Howitzers
-Mortars +1,000’s of Rounds
-162,000 pieces of Encrypted Military Comunications Gear
-16,000+ Night Vision Goggles
-Newest Technology Night Vision Scopes
-Thermal Scopes and Thermal Mono Goggles
-10,000 2.75 inch Air to Ground Rockets
-Recconaissance Equipment (ISR)
-Laser Aiming Units
-Explosives Ordnance C-4, Semtex, Detonators, Shaped Charges, Thermite, Incendiaries, AP/API/APIT
-2,520 Bombs
-Administration Encrypted Cell Phones and Laptops all operational
-Pallets with Millions of Dollars in US Currency
-Millions of Rounds of Ammunition including but not limited to 20,150,600 rounds of 7.62mm, 9,000,000 rounds of 50.caliber
-Large Stockpile of Plate Carriers and Body Armor
-US Military HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment Biometrics
-Lots of Heavy Equipment Including Bull Dozers, Backhoes, Dump Trucks, Excavators
Soldato
If I were in charge, then the moment the last flight is out of there any of that equipment that I know the whereabouts of would be turned to lumps of ****.
Seriously, the forum censors that? It's a perfectly acceptable word.
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I really hope this is not true