The Military Thread

I am still deciding between T-26 and M3 Stuart for best light tank.

edited 22nd Jan '18 12:16:53 PM by TheWildWestPyro

Chaffee.

Admittedly, all my knowledge comes from games and anime, but I have a soft spot for the Panzer 38t. I like Matildas too though.

Yeah Girls Und Panzer did a number on my tastes too, Panzer IV Ausf. D became my personal fav tank.

An older article from last year:

Yakuza aim for ‘private army’ business model in bid to go legit

A new US Navy ship, USS Little Rock, is stuck in Montreal until spring (probably March, maybe later if conditions remain abnormally cold) due to ice in the St.Lawrence.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/navy-ship-montreal-stuck-1.4497416

Oh well, there are worse places to winter in.

More and more Okinawans are now getting really mad over more American military aircraft getting into accidents and emergency landings.

That's already my idea for a Ryu ga Gotoku fanfic.

Back on-topic. When the UN organizes a peacekeeping operation, how does one country use its troops?

What's this I hear about a Marine drill instructor being court-martialed for driving a 20 year old Muslim recruit to suicide in just 11 days?

Something about the instructor being an outright sadistic douchebag who explicitly targeted Muslim recruits with his BS, locking this one into an industrial cloth-drier and not letting him out until he denied his faith, causing the recruit to throw himself off the third floor. Quick googling says the instructor's trial started in August; today I heard that he's getting dishonorably discharged, another instructor complicit in it got away with being busted down to corporal due to testifying against the first guy and the lieutenant colonel in charge of the unit is being investigated as well for failing to act until it was too late.

edited 24th Jan '18 9:27:52 AM by amitakartok

He got 10 years in prison, busted down to Private and discharged dishonorably. Can't figure out the 11 days thing, though.

Googling said the recruit was in training for only 11 days when he died.

I'm shocked that things were ever allowed to go this far.

Marines are not known for behaving kindly in recent years. Eg. their general conduct in Okinawa has not been very good to the locals.

There's a reason why the Army happily brings up the nickname "crayon eaters" for the Marines nowadays.

edited 24th Jan '18 10:02:43 AM by TheWildWestPyro

The US military's general presence in Okinawa has been causing plenty of friction in the past few years.

Pyro: Marines are not exactly known for being the kinder and gentler of the services.

Indeed.

I don't think "kindler and gentler" applies to any of the surfaces. Now for "cushy and comfy", here's another obligatory dig at the Air Force

(It's OK USAAF you cool)

edited 24th Jan '18 12:52:31 PM by TheWildWestPyro

According to where I read about this whole thing, the guy who was in charge of Marine training in the nineties managed to get this crap dialed down, but was relieved and replaced shortly before Iraq and Afghanistan and the old methods were pulled right back out.

Because apparently it's not proper training if you're not being beasted to hell and back.

Well, if being roughed up and abused made great soldiers, then the Russians conscripts would be the most effective fighting force in the ground.

Instead of you know, the poorly motivated, no morale, no cohesion, suicide and homicide prone Army units they are known for.

The guy was psycho and we already hashed out the glaring flaw in his methodology and with those that think it is ideal. He got what he deserved.

He did, and hopefully this will never happen again in the Corps.

What, was there a sweeping change in policy and culture? Or do they still think we can't handle the truth?

Pyro: Fuck you, being in the Air Force is tough. The free wi-fi on my last two deployments was terrible, and the AC in my room was not only super fucking noisy, but it turned the place into a damned icebox.

Regarding the ex-Marine DI, do they still make D Is watch The DI, starring Jack Webb? The film was created in response to a training incident where a drunk DI marched his platoon into a creek in the middle of the night, drowning several of his Marines. The film was written to show how you can be a ruthless hardass without cussing or striking your recruits.

edited 24th Jan '18 4:43:24 PM by AFP

The thing is at the DI training school they give you the tools so that you don't have to do that shit. They teach you the art of breaking them down without actually getting real hands on physical. I would argue it is the school of the mind screw with a purpose.

Ouch. All services have their own struggles, Interservice Rivalry aside. The air force may be mocked, but their contributions to warfare today are outstanding.

(Also TY to the USAAF for all the close air support they gave the Chinese back in WW 2, that really made a difference when fighting the Japanese.)