Let's talk about sKILLs...

Are Snipers cowards?

 

 

A notorious publicity hound and rabid Anti-2nd Amendment Crusader whose family name starts with the letter "M" (I am overtly refusing to give him any additional publicity mileage through this post by refusing to write down his full family name) has been hugging the headlines lately for making the ridiculous claim on Twitter that snipers are actually "cowards".  According to him, they are "cowards" because:

1. They shoot people on the back; and
2. A sniper killed his uncle in WWII.

My first reaction was to rebut M's "shoot-people-in-the-back" claim. But after giving it some careful thought, I changed my mind.  I would like to believe that it is already obvious to anyone with some semblance of common sense that the ridiculous claim is the work of a sniping ignoramus.

 

I also refuse to be dragged into an argument involving M's late uncle.  After all, the old chap paid the ultimate price for this country.  Discussing the sins of the nephew might unintentionally tarnish the  heroism of the uncle.

 

The best way to approach this issue is clinically.  What really is a sniper?  What personal qualities must one possess in order to be become one?

 

Here are the personal qualities that a candidate to the U.S. Army Special Forces sniper school must possess:

 

1.   Experience as a hunter or woodsman;

2.   Experience as a competitive marksman;

3.   Interest in weapons;

4.   Ability to make rapid, accurate assessments and mental calculations;

5.   Ability to maintain an emotionally stable personal life;

6.   Ability to function effectively under stress;

7.   Possession of character traits of patience, attention to detail, and physical endurance;

8.   Ability to focus completely;

9.   Ability to endure solitude;

10. Objectivity to the extent that one can stand outside oneself to evaluate the situation;

11. Ability to work closely with another individual in confined spaces and under stress;

12. Freedom from certain detrimental personal habits such as the use of tobacco products and alcohol; and

13. First-class APFT scores with a high degree of stamina and, preferably, solid athletic skills and abilities.

 

Can someone with a "cowardly" personality meet these qualifications?

You be the judge...

 

#AmericanSniper #Sniper #Sniping #SOTIC #ChrisKyle #OneShotOneKill #SpecialForces

 

Never give up!

Learn from the Honey Badger.

Just because you are in a Lion's jaw (and there are three more Lions waiting for their turn to grab a piece of you)... it does not automatically mean that it's already the end of the world...

A strike... is a strike!... is a strike!

How effective it will be.... is all entirely up to you...


#TheHoneyBadgerWay #HoneyBadger #Lions #NeverGiveUp

A target-rich environment...

#TheHoneyBadgerWay #HoneyBadger #TargetRichEnvironment #Military

Lions are overrated...

#TheHoneyBadgerWay #HoneyBadger #Lions

Honey Badger crossing...

#HoneyBadger #TheHoneyBadgerWay

Shit happens!

#ShitHappens #HoneyBadger #TheHoneyBadgerWay

I like Cobras...

#Cobras #HoneyBadger #TheHoneyBadgerWay

How (not) to drive in the Snow... er Blizzard...

 

It was sometime in the middle of February.  I was barely 2 weeks in-country.  I have never experienced a snowfall before. Much less driven in one.

 

I was in a work location about 18 miles from home. We received word the day before that there will be a blizzard that day. So I was not really caught with my pants down.

 

At about 10 in the morning, snow began to fall. By 5 PM, about 4 inches have already fallen. And it still continued to fall like crazy

 

Fearful for our safety, the one in-charge gave us the option to stay in a hotel for the night at the Company's expense.

 

But I decided not to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive in a full-blown blizzard slip by me in exchange for some fancy room in  a 4-star hotel. So I concocted this flimsy excuse that 18 miles is not really that far, and I am used to this driving condition... blah... blah... blah... (must have made all of them wonder from the hell where?).

 

The new guy, who only lives about 5 miles further than me, followed my cue and decided to make a go for it too.  At about 6 PM, the two of us were given permission to take off.

 

At the freeway entrance ramp, a totally unfamiliar landscape of endless white and swirling snow greeted me. Not a single vehicle was on the road. I decided to stop. Mr. New Guy just drove on. That is where we parted ways.

 

I have a simple plan. I will wait for the first big vehicle to pass by and tail it. Not only will it pack the snow ahead of me, I reckon that its more powerful headlights (and more experienced driver) will help me avoid trouble down the road. If it stops, I stop. If it rolls, I will still have to stop (of course, unless I want to roll too).

 

About three minutes passed before I saw the headlights of a big rig approaching. As soon as it passed in front of me, I went for its six. I was barely able to make out the letters "USPS" painted on the back of its 20-foot container. The mailman surely delivers the mail in this country.

 

And my plan worked. It was like having your own personal snow plow in front of you. All I have to watch out for the rest of the way was the truck's brake lights. Every time it glowed  red, I stepped on the brakes. But I never had to worry about sliding on the snow during the entire way.

Sure, the journey was grindingly slow (it took about a hour and a half instead of the usual 30 minutes). But I made it home in one piece.

Of course, there is no such thing as a free lunch (or a free ride through a blizzard for that matter).  Tailing a big rig has its down side too. My car was covered with dirty snow from bumper to bumper. 

Mr. New Guy was not as fortunate. His luck ran out at the exit ramp. He slid off the ramp and got buried in a big pile of snow. And ended up calling for towing service. He took a personal leave the following day...
     

My Indonesian F-16 Fighting Falcon patch... and Air Asia QZ8501

I got this patch just before Christmas.

According to the seller, it is an Indonesian patch.  I did not yet have time to research the veracity of the seller's claim, but since I have personally seen Indonesian Air Force F-16s do aerial maneuvers near the Madiun Air Base, I just accepted the claim at face value (for now).

In all likelihood, this is a US-made patch issued to Indonesian fighter pilots during their F-16 flight training here in the US.

Judging by the quality of the embroidery of the patch, I would say that this was made sometime in the late 80s or early 90s.

Initially, I just paid scant attention to this patch. 

And then Air Asia Flight QZ8501 disappeared. And I learned that its Indonesian pilot was a former F-16 fighter  pilot.

He would have been issued a patch just like this.

Uncanny coincidence...

Lockheed's C-130 Hercules - the "Hero" in the search for Air Asia QZ8501

 

According to published accounts, several aircraft types participated in the search for Air Asia QZ8501.  These included the recon version of the Boeing 737, the P-3 Orion, the P-8 Poseidon (another Boeing 737 variant), the Indonesian-made CASA/IPTN CN-235, and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

 

But the C-130 Hercules beat them all.

 

The first confirmed sighting of wreckage from QZ8501 was made by an Indonesian C-130 Hercules.  The pilots attributed this to the C-130's loitering power.  Theoretically, a C-130 can stay on the air for up to 14 hours (the P-3 Orion, another Lockheed aircraft, can actually stay longer - up to 16 hours).  So when the Indonesian Air Force's Boeing 737 and CN-235s already have to head home to re-fuel, the C-130 was still up there continuing the search.

 

But what led the pilots to the crash site might be the stuff of legends.  It was a blue heart-shaped balloon floating in the middle of the Java Sea.  The kind normally found in the last-minute gift shops of airports.

 

When they found another floating heart-shaped balloon (this time, a maroon one), they were convinced that they are in the general area of the crash site.

 

Eventually, they were able to identify the silhouette of what looks like an aircraft under only about 100 feet of water.

 

And the rest, as they always say, is history.

 

Not bad for an aircraft which first flew in 1954...