Anyone Here In The Military?

[Virgil61]

I have one other observation for Virgil.

I don't know about peacetime, but now the 82nd conducts their training in Afghanistan and Iraq by executing combat missions. THat might be why they spend so much time jumping when in garrison. What can you teach a guy who just came out of the killzone really? I guess they're trying to give you guys a little break. If you consider jumping to be a break that is.

I was speaking mostly of my time during active-duty in the 90's. Jumps just took up so much time and always at the worst times.

[Princeps]

Believe it or not the only non-Regular Army SF units are in the National Guard.

 

 

the British had a SAS terrotetorial unit (part timers,same as your national guard)i think they were disbanded after the first gulf war after its members were moaning about the amount of time spent away from there works.I dont think it went down too well with the regular SAS troops who werent allowed into the Gulf because of other duties.

L

 

Eh? The sas we're in the gulf. They patrolled the scud alley, generally calling in airstrikes. Did a pretty good job of it if what I heard is true. Saddam practically stopped dropping scuds on Israel over-night.

 

Also, are you sure the sas had a "part-timer" regiment? Doesn't sound too logical to me.

[Princeps]

Oh, Scanderbeg, if your planning on going into the US Army, start working on PT; 42 PUSH-UPS, 53 SIT-UPS, and a 2 MILE RUN UNDER 15:00.

 

I was always weak in pushups, I usually average 55, most guys are in the 70s within two minutes, my sit ups are around 75 in two minutes, and my run used t be before my injury under 12:00 minutes, though now it more like 18:00, which is really not good at all.

sk

There are a few other tasks that you have to do to get your first promotion before even joining, like learning the basics of land navigation and reading a map, which I can give you links to the net. It's good having some rank before you join.

 

You might want to look into JROTC too, if you go enlisted, you'll get promoted for that as well, just don't tell anyone in basic you were there, or they'll abuse you by making you carry the flag around and sing cadence.

About the push-ups - do you get to rest? I can do 65 max, but that only takes 1 minute. Maybe 75 would be possible for me after a 20 second break. Also, how long after doing the push ups do you do the sit ups? Is it push ups then sit ups straight away?

[Onasander]

There is two accepted rest positions for the pushups, in neither of them do you place your knee on the floor. First off, make sure that when your doing the pushups, your back is straight, arms fully extended beneath you a comfortable distance apart. Never ever take your feet or hands off the ground, you'll be disqualified. Push down so that your arms break the plain of your back, then rise (if your going to do try out for the Rangers, make sure you hit the ground with a noticible, rapid thud, then rise quickly- trust me, it's the reason why I've been exiled to Alaska, along with half the guys I knew in R.I.P) back to your starting position. Can you still do the sixty-five, or have you found it to be a lot harder?

 

Resuming that original starting position with your arms lock out underneath you, raise your butt as high into the air, high enough for gay men in commercial flights overhead to spot it as a terrain feature. Lean forward and let the bones in your arm take some of the weight of your body. You can bend your knees slightly, but not so much as to support the majority of your body weight (this is an arm activity). If you don't feel gay doing this, your doing something wrong.

 

The second rest position, arms are locked out as before, but you let your butt sag to the ground..... under no circumstances do you allow your knees or crotch touch the ground. Not as gay as the first, but still, not impressive or masculine either.

 

You can rest as long as you want in these positions, but just remember, you got 2 minutes to reach the standard, and you'll want to be able to hit the standard before you join, not after you join.... unless you wanna be a cook or work in finance. Combat arms take PT more serios than the rest.

[Felix Marcellus]

Felix, sir... what on earth got into you head that convinced you to switch from of all things the navy to the army! You don't go down, you go up: Best is the Coast Guard, Airforce, Navy, Army, then at the very bottom, Marines. Marines flock to the Army, army goes either airforce or navy, and so up. You went against the flow.

I enlisted in the ARmy National Guard in college because there was no Naval reserve station close to me. I met some ROTC cadets and they bushwacked me into joining Army ROTC. I sometimes do wish I'd have stayed in the Navy. The travel was much better.

[longbow]

Eh? The sas we're in the gulf. They patrolled the scud alley, generally calling in airstrikes. Did a pretty good job of it if what I heard is true. Saddam practically stopped dropping scuds on Israel over-night.

 

A and b squadrons went into the Gulf but D squadron had to stay in England on counterterrorism duties (remember when they stormed the Iranian Embassy).The squads rotate, 2 squadrons work abroad and one stays at home, so there is allways a full sabre squadron in Britain to act on terrorism.

 

Also, are you sure the sas had a "part-timer" regiment? Doesn't sound too logical to me.

 

Im positive m8,theres two Regiments of part time SAS

 

L

[Virgil61]

Also, are you sure the sas had a "part-timer" regiment? Doesn't sound too logical to me.

 

I worked with the SAS in Turkey during a NATO exercise but I'm not sure if they were active-duty or Reservists. An uncommonly arrogant bunch for Brits, they shared a section of rooms with us- USASOC [special Ops Command] laisons- during the exercise. The SAS cordoned off one room, put a bunch of commo equipment in there and put "UK eyes only" on the door, barring us from entry. The Special Forces laisons, reservists from Alabama, then set up a coffee pot and microwave in the room next to it and put "US eyes only" on the entrance. Pretty funny at the time, some of the SAS thought it was fair play while a couple got bent out of shape about it.

 

I worked with Royal Marine reservists who were attached to our unit for a short-time on Ft. Bragg in the mid-90's [the RM being more like U.S. Rangers rather than USMC.]. Pretty decent guys and I've remained friends with one of them- I always have a place for him to crash on when he comes to the US.

 

The quality of National Guard SF units I've seen isn't that bad. Most have had active-duty SF time, receive the same training and just carry on in the NG.

[Zeke]

If I had absouluty had to join the armed forces I would try to get into the Royal Marines even though I am American. Serve her majesty and the United Kingdom.

Something just fascinates me about them!!

 

Anyway, does anyone have any information on the Royal Marines compared to other army units?

 

Sorry about spelling,

Zeke

[Onasander]

Woudn't Canada have a version of the Royal Marines?

[Zeke]

no only Britian does

 

Zeke

[longbow]

Royal Marines

 

Pics of Marines

 

There a tougth bunch Zeke

 

L

[Felix Marcellus]

If I had absouluty had to join the armed forces I would try to get into the Royal Marines even though I am American. Serve her majesty and the United Kingdom.

Something just fascinates me about them!!

 

Anyway, does anyone have any information on the Royal Marines compared to other army units?

 

Sorry about spelling,

Zeke

They're fascinating because they're Royal and have a speck more history than our Marines have.

 

But don't discount our US Marines as far as being some raw, bad arsed killers. Those guys can git'r done too.

 

I'm not trying to compare the two. I'm sure they can both hold their own.

 

Same with the special forces. SAS, Delta and Green Berets. I'd feel safe with any of those guys around.

[Princeps]

Gotta love those beach assault pics. If I was in the military, I'd probably go for paratroops. Beach assaults would be too hellish. Or maybe french foreign legion. I watched a series called "escape to the legion" recently, it was brilliant (I missed the first one, I hope they repeat it).

 

p.s thanks for the link LB, it was an interesting read.

[Virgil61]

They're fascinating because they're Royal and have a speck more history than our Marines have.

 

But don't discount our US Marines as far as being some raw, bad arsed killers.  Those guys can git'r done too.

 

I'm not trying to compare the two.  I'm sure they can both hold their own.

 

Same with the special forces.  SAS, Delta and Green Berets.  I'd feel safe with any of those guys around.

 

My company spent 2003 in Iraq with the 1st MARDIV during the invasion and consolidation. Quite an eye opener for someone who's spent his time on Bragg. They are a much different animal than the RM. I'd put the RM more along the lines of Rangers, with the Marines closer to the 82nd ABN [the Marines would hate this comparison].

 

Decent enough people really, good NCOs and officers with dirtbags like anywhere else. They took extra care of my company and we were extremely loyal to them. General Mattis called us "his Army". We even received the right to wear the 1st MARDIV patch as a combat patch- straight from Dept of the Army. The first time since Army units attached to the Marines in the Pacific in WWII.

 

They're different, but at the same time closer to the Army then they realize or would ever admit. The USMCs strong point is in their Rifle companies, hands down. They aren't afraid to throw infantry into combat where the Army would rather send in Bradley's or arty. Part of the problem is they had limited arty anyway and nothing like a Bradley so maybe that dictated their approach. Their recon was friggin' insane. We'd send in Kiowas and Apaches followed by Bradley Scouts. Not the Marines, they go full bore with LAVs and little air recon. They paid the price for that several times during the invasion by getting ambushed. The 3d ID LNO and I would just shake our heads, but the Marines, they didn't give a damn. That was the price of doing business.

 

One of the things about being with them is you learn what the Army does right. They're the worst, absolute worst planners I've ever seen. Division OPORDs looked like something an Army company might have made, and that's being kind. I never, ever, saw courses of action being discussed at the division COC [Marine version of TOC]. During movement the line units do fine, but the support and command units are a soup sandwich. I was with 2d ACR during the first Gulf War. A much different unit than the current 2d ACR. They had come right off the Czech border at the end of the Soviet Union into the Gulf. Squared away and every unit, from line to support moved tactically and pulled into a defensive lager with fields of fire set up by the senior NCO and so on. The Marines, being jack of all trades rather than exclusively Mech, didn't quite have the grasp security at the stop that Army Mech units have.

 

And the Army knows armor warfare a couple magnitudes more than the Marines ever will. I remember the whole division had a battalion or two of tanks and used them more as infantry support than massed. Maybe the situation dictated it, but I'm not so sure. No question, in an armor battle go with the Army, with a light infantry fight go with the Marines.

[Onasander]

Marinesa are nuts, they had a few helicopter pilots stationed not to far away from where my unit was in Afganistan (I arrived right after they got back) they said the marine helicoper pilots fought differently than army cause they would go right over the target and attack it, whereas army pilots would attack from a distance, which I think is so much the better for the infantry, cause they can act as your fire support while bounding; but if their all shot down, you can't do that! Conservation of force I think is the wiser of paths, even with infantry. You can get all crazy in your assual if it's well planned, but you shouldn't do that if you don't know what's out there. That's the impression I get from them, they don't care info or security, just pure adreniline.