What's going on in Iraq that they don't say on CNN

[Wingman]

I tried to edit for dirty words...still a good read.
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Brothers,
This is one fine read on our weapons used in Iraq today.
Enjoy. You combat vets know what this is all about…

tigr



Saepius Eertus, Semper Fideles, Frater Infintas
"Often Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers Forever"

UNITED STATES MARINES

Ladies, none of this is for you, please
send/give it to your hubby's.



This is a fairly accurate description and
assessment of the weapon systems...tmb



Some things our media and talking heads don't tell us.

This email from a guy who's in Iraq...
No politics here, just a Marine with a bird's eye view opinion:

1) The M-16 rifle:
Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the talcum powder like sand over there. The sand is everywhere. Jordan says you feel filthy 2 minutes after coming out of the shower. The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it's lighter and shorter, but it has jamming problems also. They lack the ability to mount the various optical gunsights and weapons lights on the picattiny rails, but the weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the 5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common over there and even torso hits can't be reliably counted on to put the enemy down.

Fun fact:
Random autopsies on dead insurgents show a high level of opiate use.

2) The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon):
.223 cal. Drum fed light machine gun.
Big thumbs down. Universally considered a piece of s. Chronic jamming problems, most of which require partial disassembly (that's fun in the middle of a firefight).



3) The M9 Beretta 9mm:
Mixed bag. Good gun, performs well in desert environment; but they all hate the 9mm cartridge. The use of handguns for self-defense is actually fairly common. Same old story on the 9mm: Bad guys hit multiple times and still in the fight.



4) Mossberg 12ga. Military shotgun:
Works well, used frequently for clearing houses to good effect.



5) The M240 Machine Gun: 7.62 Nato (.308) cal. belt fed machine gun, developed to replace the old M-60 (what a beautiful weapon that was!!).
Thumbs up. Accurate, reliable, and the 7.62 round puts 'em down. Originally developed as a vehicle mounted weapon, more and more are being dismounted and taken into the field by infantry. The 7.62 round chews up the structure over there.



6) The M2 50 cal heavy machine gun:
Thumbs way, way up. "Ma deuce" is still worth her considerable weight in gold. The ultimate fight stopper, puts their d in the dirt every time. The most coveted weapon in-theater.



7) The .45 pistol:
Thumbs up. Still the best pistol round out there. Everybody authorized to carry a sidearm is trying to get their hands on one. With few exceptions, can reliably be expected to put 'em down with a torso hit. The special ops guys (who are doing most of the pistol work) use the HK military model and supposedly love it. The old government model .45's are being re-issued en masse.



8) The M-14:
Thumbs up. They are being re-issued in bulk, mostly in a modified version to special ops guys. Modifications include lightweight Kevlar stocks and low power red dot or ACOG sights. Very reliable in the sandy environment, and they love the 7.62 round.



9) The Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle:
Thumbs way up. Spectacular range and accuracy and hits like a freight train. Used frequently to take out vehicle suicide bombers (we actually stop a lot of them) and barricaded enemy. It is definitely here to stay.



10) The M24 sniper rifle:
Thumbs up. Mostly in .308 but some in 300 win mag. Heavily modified Remington 700's. Great performance. Snipers have been used heavily to great effect. Rumor has it a marine sniper on his third tour in Anbar rovince has actually exceeded Carlos Hathcock's record for confirmed kills with OVER 100.



11) The new body armor:
Thumbs up. Relatively light at approx. 6 lbs.and can reliably be expected to soak up small shrapnel and even will stop an AK-47 round. The bad news: Hot as s to wear, almost unbearable in the summer heat (which averages over 120 degrees). Also, the enemy now goes for head shots whenever possible. All the $#!+ about the "old" body armor making our guys vulnerable to the IED's was a non-starter. The IED explosions are enormous and body armor doesn't make any difference at all in most cases.



12) Night Vision and Infrared Equipment:
Thumbs way up. Spectacular performance. Our guys see in the dark and own the night, period. Very little enemy action after evening prayers. More and more enemy being whacked at night during movement by our hunter-killer teams. We've all seen the videos.



13) Lights:
Thumbs up. Most of the weapon mounted and personal lights are Surefire's, and the troops love 'em. Invaluable for night urban operations. Jordan carried a $34 Surefire G2 on a neck lanyard and loved it. I cant help but notice that most of the good fighting weapons and ordnance are 50 or more years old!!!!!!!!! With all our technology,it's the WWII and Vietnam era weapons that everybody wants!!!! The infantry fighting is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown.



Bad guy weapons:

1) Mostly AK47's.
The entire country is an arsenal. Works better in the desert than the M16 and the .308 Russian round kills reliably. PKM belt fed light machine guns are also common and effective. Luckily, the enemy mostly shoots like $#!+. Undisciplined "spray and pray" type fire. However, they are seeing more and more precision weapons, especially sniper rifles. (Iran, again)

Fun fact:
Captured enemy have apparently marveled at the marksmanship of our guys and how hard they fight. They are apparently told in Jihad school that the Americans rely solely on technology, and can be easily beaten in close quarters combat for their lack of toughness. Let's just say they know better now.



2) The RPG:
Probably the infantry weapon most feared by our guys. Simple, reliable and as common as dogs***. The enemy responded to our up-armored Humvees by aiming at the windshields, often at point blank range. Still killing a lot of our guys.



3) The IED:
The biggest killer of all. Can be anything from old Soviet anti-armor mines to jury rigged artillery shells. A lot found in Jordan's area were in abandoned cars. The enemy would take 2 or 3 155 mm artillery shells and wire them together. Most were detonated by cell phone, and the explosions are enormous. You're not safe in any vehicle, even an M1 tank. Driving is by far the most dangerous thing our guys do over there. Lately, they are much more sophisticated "shape charges" (Iranian) specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready made IED's are supplied by Iran, who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics. That's why the attacks have been so deadly lately. Their concealment methods are ingenious, the latest being shape charges, in Styrofoam containers spray painted to look like the cinderblocks that litter all Iraqi roads. We find about 40% before they detonate, and the bomb disposal guys are unsung heroes of this war.



4) Mortars and rockets:
Very prevalent. The soviet era 122mm rockets (with an 18km range) are becoming more prevalent. One of Jordan's NCO's lost a leg to one. These weapons cause a lot of damage "inside the wire". Jordan's base was hit almost daily his entire time there by mortar and rocket fire, often at night to disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue (It did). More of a psychological weapon than anything else. The enemy mortar teams would jump out of vehicles, fire a few rounds, and then haul a in a matter of seconds.



5) Bad guy technology:
Simple yet effective. Most communication is by cell and satellite phones, and also by email on laptops. They use handheld GPS units for navigation and "Googleearth" for overhead views of our positions. Their weapons are good, if not fancy, and prevalent. Their explosives and bomb technology is TOP OF THE LINE. Night vision is rare. They are very careless with their equipment and the captured GPS units and laptops are treasure troves of Intel when captured.

Who are the bad guys (remember that is what the Captain called them!)?

Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group. They operate mostly in Anbar province (Fallujah and Ramadi). These are mostly "foreigners", non-Iraqi Sunni Arab Jihadists from all over the Muslim world (and Europe). Most enter Iraq through Syria (with, of course, the knowledge and complicity of the Syrian govt.), and then travel down the "rat line" which is the trail of towns along the EuphratesRiver that we've been hitting hard for the last few months. Some are virtually untrained young Jihadists that often end up as suicide bombers or in various
"sacrifice squads". Most, however, are hard core terrorists from all the usual suspects (Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas etc.). These are the guys running around murdering civilians en masse and cutting heads off. The Chechens (many of whom are Caucasian), are supposedly the most ruthless and the best fighters (they have been fighting the Russians for years). In the Baghdad area and south, most of the insurgents are Iranian inspired (and led) Iraqi Shiites. The Iranian Shiia have been very adept at infiltrating the Iraqi local govt.'s, the police forces and the Army. They have had a massive spy and agitator network there since the Iran-Iraq war in the early 80's. Most of the Saddam loyalists were killed, captured or gave up long ago.



Bad Guy Tactics:

When they are engaged on an infantry level they get their asses kicked every time. Brave, but stupid. Suicidal Banzai-type charges were very common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice 8-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing AK's and RPG's directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get mowed down like grass every time (see the M2 and M240 above). Jordan's base was hit like this often. When engaged, they have a tendency to flee to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious last stand. Instead, we call in air and that's the end of that more often than not. These hole-ups are referred to as Alpha Whiskey Romeo's (Allah's Waiting Room). We have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a science. The fast mover's, mostly Marine F-18's, are taking an ever increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre Gunships cut them to ribbons with cannon and rocket fire, especially at night. Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all.

Fun fact:
The enemy death toll is supposedly between 45-50 thousand. That is why we're seeing less and less infantry attacks and more IED, suicide bomber $#!+. The new strategy is just simple: attrition. The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian non-combatants as cover. They know we do all we can to avoid civilian casualties and therefore schools, hospitals and (especially) Mosques are locations where they meet, stage for attacks, cache weapons and ammo and flee to when engaged. They have absolutely no regard whatsoever for inflicting civilian casualties. They will terrorize locals and murder without hesitation anyone believed to be sympathetic to the Americans or the new Iraqi govt. Kidnapping of family members (especially children) is common to influence people they are trying to influence but can't reach, such as local govt. officials, clerics, tribal leaders, etc.).



The first thing our guys are told is "don't get captured". They know that if captured they will be tortured and beheaded on the internet. Zarqawi openly offers bounties for anyone who brings him a live American serviceman. This motivates the criminal element who otherwise don't give a $#!+ about the war. A lot of the beheading victims were actually kidnapped by common criminals and sold to Zarqawi. As such, for our guys, every fight is to the death. Surrender is not an option.



The Iraqi's are a mixed bag.

Some fight well, others aren't worth a damn. Most do okay with American support. Finding leaders is hard, but they are getting better. It is widely viewed that Zarqawi's use of suicide bombers, en masse, against the civilian population was a serious tactical mistake. Many Iraqi's were galvanized and the caliber of recruits in the Army and the police forces went right up, along with their motivation. It also led to an exponential increase in good intel because the Iraqi's are sick of the insurgent attacks against civilians. The Kurds are solidly pro-American and fearless fighters.



Morale:

According to Jordan, morale among our guys is very high. They not only believe that they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despised and distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of 20-1 and then see $#!+ like "Are we losing in Iraq" on TV and the print media. For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food and leadership. Bottom line though, and they all say this, is that there are not enough guys there to drive the final stake through the heart of the insurgency, primarily because there aren't enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians just can't stand the thought of Iraq being an American ally (with, of course, permanent US bases there).



Anyway, that's it, hope you found it interesting.


GEN. GERALD E. MCILMOYLE, USAF (RET.)

[tombstone]

My buddy said his beretta never failed him mechanically, but he would have done anything to get his hands on a 1911.

I know several who have done tours and all are amazed at the media's coverage on the war. In my opinion, the liberal media is as guilty in some ways as Hanoi Jane was.

God bless all those who are there and have been there. Thanks!

[Spoonallard]

Keep knocking their stickers in the dirt boys. And thanks.

[STIHL]

Good read and its hard to beat the 1911....

[Woodduckdawg]

Good read, I figured it was going to be a Pro-Bush slant, but a refreshing, honest look with pros and cons.

Just curious. How would they use Google Earth to see positions since the pictures are not live and probably several years old? Anyone have a reason besides seeing the lay of the land.

[bigwater]

great read...

intresting to read that some of the most treasured weapons come from the vietnam era and earlier..

sad to hear that the m-16 doesen't function well in the desert.. jamming problems.. same thing cost many americans their lives in nam..

how about the ol mossberg 12ga shotgun... works well in close enviorments..

again very good read..

[Ducks be us]

I need me one of them Barret .50's for the birds Ive been seeing. Wonder what would happen to a snow goose

[cwink]

Good read

[VICKSBURGBOB]

Good read, I figured it was going to be a Pro-Bush slant, but a refreshing, honest look with pros and cons.

Just curious. How would they use Google Earth to see positions since the pictures are not live and probably several years old? Anyone have a reason besides seeing the lay of the land.

GREAT POST wingman THANK YOU

Note that the General said that most of the insurgents were NOT iraqis but rather Syrians and Iranians along with a conglomeration of other arab nationalities smattered in. The Iraqis are generally VERY supportive of what we are doing.

The Insurgents use Google Earth to research ranges and targets so that when they attack all they have to do is bring their weapons, mostly rockets and mortars, set them up to their pre- set ranges, fire, and run away. Living to attack another day.

NOTE: the M2 is probably not what you want to use to hunt with. I saw 5 .50 cal rounds completely destroy a flatbed truck the insurgents used as a mortar platform. Turned it to shredded metal right in front of me. It was an amazingly awesome sight. Also got to watch F-18 bombing runs from less than a mile away. Another awesome sight, and the ground really does shake and rumble like an earthquake. The US military is the best and the brightest in the world. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. I didn't understand it until I witnessed first hand how truly awesome the American military is.
As for the M-4, I liked mine although I didn't have as much call to use it as the marines in Al Anbar and my living conditions were a palace compared to theirs out in the desert.

[goosebruce]

That was a fascinating read. thanks for sharing it, really provided a lot more insight than most things even from people that areor have been there. travis

[gamehog]

1) The M-16 rifle:
The M-14: Very reliable in the sandy environment, and they love the 7.62 round.
1) Mostly AK47's. Works better in the desert than the M16 and the .308 Russian round kills reliably.
Fun fact:
Captured enemy have apparently marveled at the marksmanship of our guys and how hard they fight.

Above reinforces the 40 year rub between the reliability of the AK verses the better accuracy of the M16. For average riflemen long range shots are rare in the current street fights so AK probably gets the nod. On the "spiritual level" it is hard for a rifleman to develop the affinity for the M16 like there was for the wood stocked M1 or M14 - the M16 just doesn't have that look to it. Heck the AK looks and sounds cooler than the M16. The M4 carbine does look better and perhaps that creates more of a bond between the Marine/soldier and his rifle.

3) The M9 Beretta 9mm: Mixed bag. Good gun, performs well in desert environment; but they all hate the 9mm cartridge. The use of handguns for self-defense is actually fairly common. Same old story on the 9mm: Bad guys hit multiple times and still in the fight.
7) The .45 pistol:
Thumbs up. Still the best pistol round out there. Everybody authorized to carry a sidearm is trying to get their hands on one. With few exceptions, can reliably be expected to put 'em down with a torso hit. The special ops guys (who are doing most of the pistol work) use the HK military model and supposedly love it. The old government model .45's are being re-issued en masse.

True if you can hit your intended target with the 45. Most shooters are more accurate with the 9mm than the 45. The special ops guys are better with the 45 because they spend much more time on the range developing their combat pistol marksmanship skills.

Mossberg 12ga. Military shotgun:
Works well, used frequently for clearing houses to good effect.

USMC uses relatively new Benelli M9. So far so good though I've never personally fired one. Don't have to worry about short-shucking during a fire fight.

Random autopsies on dead insurgents show a high level of opiate use.

You'd be on drugs too if you smelled like a goat, ate goat, and your women looked like goats.

[Wingman]

True if you can hit your intended target with the 45. Most shooters are more accurate with the 9mm than the 45. The special ops guys are better with the 45 because they spend much more time on the range developing their combat pistol marksmanship skills.

My shooting improved greatly when we switched from .45 to .40 but I kept the .45 for personal thug thumping. When someone breaks into my home I want the cops to look at the thug and to say, "Dang what a hole."

[gamehog]

My shooting improved greatly when we switched from .45 to .40 but I kept the .45 for personal thug thumping. When someone breaks into my home I want the cops to look at the thug and to say, "Dang what a hole."

Like with you my "Colt Govt Model" 45 lives in the bedstand.