Grunts vs Support...thoughts?
04-19-2009 | 02:48 AM
#21
I didn't see any support troops humping up the mountains in Afghanistan with me. And now Afghanistan is the main battle field. It's kind of amusing, support units will get shot at on convoys in Iraq or work a checkpoint and now everyone claims they are doing the same job as the infantry. Not exactly the case. I was on a convoy once in Iraq with a support unit. We started taking fire and they floored it out of the kill zone instead of standing and fighting and naturally the enemy melted back to where they came from to fight another day. I asked why they didn't stop and they looked at me like I was crazy. It was actually their SOP to leave the kill zone. Last I checked they get the same combat pay as the grunts.
We may all get the same pay but we all don't have the same mission. Their mission was probably to get something from point A to point B. They're not gonna stop a whole convoy just to take pop shots at a bunch of insurgents because thats not thier job. Its the infantry's mission to find the insurgents and kill or detain them. They wouldnt expect you to fix a truck that broke down or use a wrecker to tow it back so you shouldn't expect them to stay in a killzone an risk failing the mission just to attempt to kill insurgents.
04-20-2009 | 12:24 AM
#23
We may all get the same pay but we all don't have the same mission. Their mission was probably to get something from point A to point B. They're not gonna stop a whole convoy just to take pop shots at a bunch of insurgents because thats not thier job. Its the infantry's mission to find the insurgents and kill or detain them. They wouldnt expect you to fix a truck that broke down or use a wrecker to tow it back so you shouldn't expect them to stay in a killzone an risk failing the mission just to attempt to kill insurgents.
In my experiences in the box, everyone was a soldier. There wasn't much of a differentiation between grunts and POG's. That machismo bullshit was left behind in the garrison. A lot of us support guys went on the same missions, patrols, and raids as the combat units we supported. Everyone was a soldier.
04-20-2009 | 01:22 PM
#24
Exactly-Get the hell outta the killzone-thats basically what i was getting at, theres no reason to stay an fight in an ambush if all vehicles are still able to roll out, you'll only risk creating more casualties.
04-22-2009 | 10:35 AM
#25
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 365
Likes: 0
From: Ft. Carson, Colorado Springs
SOP to leave the kill zone...is that new? I knew a guy who was signal but volunteered to be a convoy gunner his whole tour. Anyone on the road had to provide for his own defense as far as I remember. We were a signal detachment and would travel in a jeep or 2-1/2 sometimes. Nothing happened so I guess it was fairly pacified at the time.
04-27-2009 | 02:00 AM
#26
The company that replaced us was only like 70% combat ready or whatever the term was they had cooks, mechanics, commo and their pak clerks go out with them. We werent grunts, but we went to the IP stations went through the villages towns mounted and dismounted as well as man check points. As said before every MOS is needed. Even if its something you think is gay and stupid. Do you really want to do that stupid gay **** after spending all day outside the wire?
04-27-2009 | 07:20 PM
#27
Sgt Drags said it perfectly... 11B is the oldest military profession...Why is everyone else in the Army/Military??? To support the Infantry... Think about it.. and Fobbits are worst in that most of them are POGs...and I remember going to FOB chow hall one day after a 16 HR OP then leaving there to pull security on a bridge that blew outside Ramadi for another 8 hrs..I hadn't showered in like a week or ate during most of that time period. Well anyways me and my sqaud go to the chow hall just happy to sit down with no gear and eat...There were people COMPLAINING about not having ice cream..Or that the chow hall was too hot.... not all but most POGs are useless... IMO
Last edited by Petraszewsky; 04-30-2009 at 05:37 PM.
