They keep teasing this Aliens prequel and I have to admit....I'm pretty jazzed about seeing it. A prequel that answers questions raised by the original movie instead of resetting the franchise? Cool!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Broken trust.
Remember the post I did on the Marine Corps not disclosing that another one of the family had been murdered by a supposed Afghan ally?
Remember me saying that the Marine Corps is broken?
Its worse than I thought.
While individual Marines are not only having to duck enemy fire, dodge land mines and IED's, sprint to cover while under sniper fire and evade RPG's, the leadership of the Dept of the Navy with apparently no push back from the Commandant of the Marine Corps is looking to give breathalyzers to Marines after they make it back to the safety of the barracks.
What does that tell you?
It tells me that our priorities are totally out of whack.
No longer are we a war fighting, battle winning organization. Now we're just another part of the politically correct crowd...we're being emasculated without a howl of protest.
Instead of General's slamming fists on the table demanding that the Afghan Army (which we're training and appear to have been thoroughly penetrated by the enemy) clean up its act, our leadership is pounding the table demanding that Marines become teetotalers.
What happened to our leadership?
How did it get this bad?
What is the solution?
I have no idea, but one of the few Marine Corps General's that I continue to have faith in is appearing on Midrats this Sunday. Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper, USMC(Ret) will be a guest on this program. I'll be tuning in and if possible I will specifically ask about the happenings that led to the missteps in Afghanistan, the current lack of focus by leadership and what it will take to get our Marine Corps back on track.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Update on missing Norwegian C-130.
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| All photos by Bjørnar Bolsøy do not use without his permission. The photos are of the airplane that crashed during exercise "Cold Response 2012"
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Latest news:Hopefully we'll find the aircrew alive and well but "even training is dangerous"...
* Pieces of possible wreckage has been found on both sides of the South Peak of the Kebnekaise mountain range
(Google Earth coordinates approx: 67°54'4.92"N 18°31'26.22"E)
* Metal pieces were found close to the peak's summit of about 6900 feet as well as part of a "seat with velcro soaked in paraffine"
* The area is now officially a crash site
* Ski hikers in the aera report hearing large bangs which they assumed were avalanches
* Last two radar contacts were a few miles west of the peak: a civilian radar contact at 7200 feet and shortly after that a military radar contact at 7600 feet
(http://static.vg.no/uploaded/image/bilderigg/2012/03/16/1331913742451_463.jpg)
* Yesterday's report of emergency radio transmission picked up by a Danish Merlin helicopter has not been confirmed
* Weather is still very challenging with storms, strong turbulence and limited visiblity, very steep terrain and avalanche danger(panorama picture of the mountain range: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Kebnekaise_Panorama.jpg)* It is believed that there were hurricane winds in the area at the time of the accident
* SAR helicopters have been forced to abort numerous times due to the bad weather
* Forecast however looks better for the comming night and tomorrow
* The ship lost has been confirmed as #5630 named "Siv" of 335. Sqn. at Gardermoen AB. It entered operational service mid-2010
* About 20 helicopters and aircraft as well as large ground forces are participating in the search
* Helis include RNOAF Sea Kings and RNOAF Bell 412SPs, Swedish HKP-10s (Eurocopter AS332), Lifeguard 906 (Sikorsky S-76++), EC135 police helicopter as well as two Danish Merlins
* Fixed winged aircraft include RNOAF P-3s and F-16s, NATO AWACS, US MC-130 and E-2C Hawkeye
So far the accident is a mystery. The crew was highly experienced, the C-130J considered a modern and robust airplane and has advanced support systems like terrain avoidence radar. Although challenging, the conditions were not deemed too difficult for flight operations. Earlier, two aircrafts had passed through the same area without incidence. Amongst the speculations are course deviations and a solar flare yesterday causing magnetic storms. However according to scientist Knut Stanley Jacobsen at the Norwegian cartographical service the flare hit the Earth some time after the accident and still wouldn't be strong enough to cause problems with aircraft systems.On a personal note I flew with that very same aircraft on the official inauguration flight of the RNOAF C-130J fleet in August 2010. Photos attached. Note that airborne C-130J is #5607 "Idunn". It was quite difficult to get good shots bacause the chasing C-130s were directly behind the jet exhaust of our ship "Siv".
The thought of flying in hurricane force winds is bad. Doing it during wintery conditions is brave beyond words.
So much for the European's being soft huh? Best wishes and luck to the missing aircrew and the searchers.
When I get updates so will you.
2nd Recon Jump.
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| MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Corporal Rylan S. Miller, a reconnaissance Marine with Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, conducts the first round of parachute checks on Marines with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, March 12, at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune prior to their low-level static line jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:00 PM |
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| MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Gunnery Sgt. Brad Dean, a Richlands, N.C. native and operations chief for Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, makes an aerial assessment prior to the reconnaissance Marines’ low-level static line jump March 12 at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Jump-qualified Marines must conduct jump operations for sustainment and proficiency, quarterly. The recon Marines conducted jump operations from March 12 - 16, which included low-level static line, high altitude opening and high altitude low opening jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:01 PM |
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| MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Three reconnaissance Marines with Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, prepare to land after their high altitude open jump March 12 at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The recon Marines conducted jump operations from March 12 - 16, which included low-level static line, high altitude opening and high altitude low opening jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:03 PM |
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| MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-A MV-22 Osprey aircraft prepares to land at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 spent nearly eight hours providing flight operations for Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion’s jump. The recon Marines conducted jump operations from March 12 - 16, which included low-level static line, high altitude opening and high altitude low opening jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:00 PM |
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| MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Marines with Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, parachute toward their landing zone at Tactical Landing Zone Pheasant in the Greater Sandy Run Area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, March 12. The recon Marines conducted jump operations from March 12 - 16, which included low-level static line, high altitude opening and high altitude low opening jumps., Sgt. Bryan A. Peterson, 12/31/1999 7:02 PM |
Your hollow points just became obsolete.
That's right gun guys. Your favorite hollow point just became obsolete. Whether its Gold Dots or Rangers it looks like a new kid on the block might be worth checking out. I know I will. via Shooting Illustrated.
The initial goal of the EFMJ bullet was to provide a non-hollow-point projectile that would reliably expand without hydraulic dependence, yet would feed unfailingly in semi-automatic handguns. You see, conventional hollow-point handgun bullets need to impact a fluid-based material to expand. Bad guys are made of mostly water. As a conventional hollow point enters a bad guy, liquefied materials enter the hollow-point cavity and create pressure on the inside of the jacket walls. This forces the bullet to expand.Read the whole thing but I know I'll be taking these to the range as soon as I can lay hands on a box.
If the hollow-point cavity is clogged with some sort of material like cloth or dry wall, the bullet may not expand. EFMJ bullet expansion relies on mechanical force as opposed to hydraulic force. How does this work? The EFMJ bullet consists of a gilding-metal jacket surrounding a lead core located at the rear of the bullet. The open (rear) end of the jacket is crimped over the rear of the lead core, just like in a hardball round. The real difference is at the front of the bullet, where there is a void between the front of the lead core and the nose of the jacket.
Wanna buy a Me163 cheap?
Ed (thanks man! I thought you were punking me at first) sent me this ad on gun broker for a supposedly original Me163.
I almost hope this is fake....and if its real I hope a museum swoops in quick. We have to preserve aviation history.
See the ad for yourself here.
Air Delivery Unit training.
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| MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-An MV-22 Osprey hovers above the ground March 13 during air delivery operations training at Landing Zone Falcon. The training certified Marines with the air delivery attachment of Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in conducting air delivery operations. , Sgt. Richard Blumenstein, 3/13/2012 12:55 PM |
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| MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-An MV-22 Osprey launches a Container Delivery System March 13 during air delivery operations training here at Landing Zone Falcon. The training certified Marines with the air delivery attachment of Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in conducting air delivery operations. , Sgt. Richard Blumenstein, 3/13/2012 11:30 AM |
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| MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -Marines with air delivery attachment, Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Air Delivery Platoon, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, parachute onto Landing Zone Falcon here, March 13, 2012. The parachute operations served as a smaller part of a training evolution certifying the 24th MEU in conducting air delivery operations. , Sgt. Richard Blumenstein, 3/13/2012 11:31 AM |
More pics of the new State Dept CH-46
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| Revitalized with the distinctive brand of the Department of State, a recently retired U.S. Marine Corps CH-46E Sea Knight “Phrog” has gained a new mission serving the nation. The first Phrog to wear the paint of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security for the Department of State was delivered March 16 at NAVAIR’s Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) East, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. Besides the paint job, artisans at FRC East refreshed the Phrog for another five years of service. Three more retired H-46Es are in the works at FRC East for the Department of State. Currently, 16 are scheduled to be reworked and delivered to the department, but that number could grow, officials said. As the Marines’ medium-lift fleet transitions to the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, H-46Es have been transferred to the Department of State and are available for foreign military sales. (U.S. Navy photo) |
160th in S. America??????
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| A U.S. Army crew chief observes the horizon from the side door of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter as they prepare to land on a helipad at Camp Stehenson, Guyana, during a training event in support of Exercise Fused Response 2012 on March 8, 2012. DoD photo by Sgt. Taresha Neal Joiner, U.S. Army. (Released) |
The caption to this picture is garbage!
That's a UH-60?.
Yeah...on steroids...that's a MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator. Stats via Wikipedia...
- MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator (DAP): US Army variant. Special operations modification of the baseline MH-60L, operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.[81] The DAP is equipped with ESSS or ETS stub wings, each capable of carrying a M230 Chain Gun 30 mm automatic cannon, rocket pods, and various other armaments. M134D miniguns are used as door guns.[75]
After thinking this through I'm a bit miffed. Why is Special Forces doing a training mission in S. America? Convetional forces could easily do it and I thought that they were screaming that they need more man power????
SOCOM complains about not having enough assets in theater but then sends the 160th on a training detail to S. America instead of supporting the war effort????
This makes no sense.
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