shandy294

This mainly pertains to Army or Marine Corps. How would you describe the inevitable schism between line and other troops?

The Navy is pretty much on-line in large units when deployed at sea and the AF (for the most part) is a very large supt org for those who fly.

What are your thoughts about this?

shandy294

Oh ****,I replied to my own thread! Bad thread or thread-er?

I've experienced some of the bad feelings via gas and one time by something worse.

If you think the topic sucks or is too negative,it'll die,one way or another.

NebWS6

iTrader: (4)

I don't truly understand what you are getting at....
Are you talking about the age old "grunts think pog's are worthless and pog's think grunts are dumb"...?
In my expirence both have their benefits otherwise the army and MC wouldn't have seperate training and would just train everyone as one or the other...
Having been exposed to both sides really dimenishes that myth though... I have met smart and dumb grunts as well as pog's and some from both sides that were worthless...

I do think that how we fight war now has definately upped the role of pogs into more of a combat role and given many expirence and a taste of the other side.

shandy294

NebWS6: What you said in your second line is the spirit it. It's nothing really to do with smart or dumb.

I was in VN and it had some similarities to present day conflicts...unconventional warfare,etc,etc.

It's just something to generate some comments from currently-serving troops.

325trooper

iTrader: (2)

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.

AznMuscle

iTrader: (7)

I think both need each other. I am not military, but am a GS civillian, and I work at a test directorate. We are support, testing new equipment to help our soldiers in the field. Without the "pogs", there wouldn't be new **** to use, and potentially save lives. Likewise, without the grunts, the pogs wouldn't have our tests to do, and hell...I'd be without a job lol. In my outside view, both need to work together to accomplish the mission. My .02

shandy294

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.

NebWS6

iTrader: (4)

Every unit is different, talk to your CO to make some of that happen, if I was in your unit or the army I would come but I can't .... Concerning "everyone" claiming that working a CP or going on convoys makes someone doing the job of a grunt, no that is not the whole truth but, yes they are partially right...I have been with grunt units that had their guys out doing some of that stuff, but they also did patrols, goodwill missions...etc, the same things that some pog's were doing.
IMO it must be the army that seperates it's troops so much because the MC does alot of cross training, and mixing of MOS....Just look at MITT teams.

Anybody that has been on a convoy knows that things can change at the drop of a hat (your a 1st Sargeant you know that ) and that it's not always the mission to stop and exchange small arms fire( rpg's, ied's, massive assults not included).

86MonteSS

iTrader: (3)

support thinks grunts are idiots. grunts think support is a bunch of pussies.

Infantryman get a lot of training in the jobs of the support guys so they can function on their own (well, my unit does at least). we learn commo stuff. medical stuff. driver stuff. thats on top of infantry tactics.

but the schism isn't just between grunts and support.

Airborne hate legs.
SF HATES 82nd airborne.
Rangers hate everyone.

hahaha. basically, your unit is the best one out there and everyone else sucks. it doesn't matter what unit you are with. its the best one.

brad8266

iTrader: (23)

Its a love-hate relationship between infantry and support units, they need us and they are the reason we are there. The **** talking is all in good fun.

xtinctbird

From the grunt side I dont really mind the pogues as long as they do their job and don't try to talk to me like they are some kind of war hero because they did convoy security or worked a checkpoint, I respect the work they do when they do it though

shandy294

We used to get gassed by the grunts at Cu Chi and one time a 40mm h.e. landed right outside of our site. Any stuff like that happen in Iraq or Afghanistan?

A thought: A grunt's job sucks but a remf has to live with being...well...just that. My tour,IMO,kind of meant something and kind of didn't mean ****.

I'm not trying to make a big issue about it;just seeing what others have to say.

bballr4567

iTrader: (5)

Im technically support but Im also a grunt.

Welcome me, the medic. Ive been on two deployments, the first one was as a line medic and the second one I was in the main aid station. Loved both jobs as they are completely different.

Very, very few MOS's get to do what I do. Its just as fun being a non-grunt with the grunts.

NebWS6

iTrader: (4)

Friendly fire? yeah it happens... haven't heard of any incidents in Iraq of people getting shelled though..., but I would hope if they are shooting arty they know where it's pointed and who is in the area they are sending it.... when that stuff happens it's bad info and someone will get screwed in the end

hahaha....true.

Sgt Drags

I am an 11B in the Army and there was one thing above all else that pissed me off during my 2 tours. That was when my unit would get to go to a big base ( like LSA Anaconda or Camp Speicher) and all the people at those bases would complain about everything.

For instance, I was at the PX at Anaconda one time and had to listen to a couple of soldiers stationed there bitch about how the PX was out of Frappachino's. I truly wanted to slug them ****'s right in the face.

I love my job, most of the time. I take great pride in being an infantryman. Both of my deployments have been very crappy as far as living conditions were concerned, as these ******** wanna complain about dumb crap like that and we were only getting one hot meal a day and had to burn our own **** both of the deployments. **** em!

capn smokey

iTrader: (1)

Wow this argument is going to go til it gets locked. It is really simple and stupid, we all need each other. I have a job and they have a job, it all meets the same end goal. Thats like asking the question of "whos more important, construction workers or accountants?" Its ******* retarted and this thread is going nowhere.

DarknessHunter

iTrader: (10)

im in a support battalion for 1st id 3-1 inf. i work with the inf and other combat guys every day and we get along great they know with out us they would have to do more work wouldnt get supplies and other things they need to keep them safe and informed. my mos is 88m im a driver but fobbit anyway because of a severe back injury non combat was before deployment but no one gives me crap because every job being deployed is important i pull fob security so they can sleep safly after a hard day or mission with no worries

Coy

iTrader: (4)

I love the terms REMF and FOBBIT.

I went to Iraq, but I don't have a dog in this fight, as I am in the Navy.

Al Asad base/flight OPS 07-08.

ZMONSTER!

iTrader: (9)

When I was a grunt I talked alot of **** about support MOS's and tankers (when I was with the First Team), but I always made sure I had a good buddy in 3 places, the mechanics, supply and the S shops. talk as much **** as I want it still payed to have hook ups there, and I had alot of respect for em. As far as the tankers go, well ya I talked **** but I loved having one of those big beautiful M1 sep tanks rolling with me.

So ya its a love hate thing.

SlickShoesC6

Just to put it out there, I understand the perception that the Air Force is essentially a support organization for those who fly, as you put it.

Most people dont take into account the size of our ISR community. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance are much deeper rabbit holes than zipping around in planes taking pictures. What many people out of the loop would commonly associate with organizations like the CIA/DIA are operations conducted heavily by AF Intel. Complimentary to that are the Space/Cyberspace portions of our latest "Air, Space, Cyberspace" mantra. The AF is almost solely responsible for space operations ranging from Satellite Communications to Space-Born Defense Systems. Keeping global SA and a secure hold on "The Ultimate High Ground", aka space, goes well beyond the concept of flying planes.