Horror stories on the line...
BigDunc...I feel your pain!
I'm a Florida National Guardsman who made the mistake of being attached to the New York Guard, and wound up with an Infantry company from New York City no less.
These city boys didn't even have one compass in their inventory to take with me to Sniper school, for an Infantry company that's amazing to me. No compasses, but there's two alcohol serving bars IN the armory.
Our BC is so concerned with glory he's on the verge of being a Psych Hold, his most famous qoute: His element was recieving rifle fire one day and a sergeant urged him to take cover, saying "Sir, get down, these guys are willing to die for nothing!", our BC snapped at him "SO AM I !!". Yipes !!!
The command has restricted our ROE (rules of engagement) to the point were bonified shooting gallery ducks. They've taken our .50 cals off the HMMWV's, kept all other crew served weapons at AMBER status (not locked and loaded), and now when we fire a warning shot to keep possible VBIED's (car bombs) at bay, everyone in the truck has to fill out sworn statements, for each and every time we shoot. The effect is to make the leaders so concerned about the extra paperwork, the gunners are harrassed into not shooting at all. Unfortunately all these ROE restrictions do is jeaprodize our lives, when a cars barreling at you there's precious few seconds to stop them, and all the gunners have is the 30 rds. of 5.56 in an M-4 to do the job. It's criminally stupid!
As for the commands attitude towards Snipers, they have to brief the highers each time they use us, and since that means more work, they don't bother. It doesn't matter that Sniper teams are the most effect way of countering the Insurgents firing RPG's and SAF at the HMMWV's within the patrol area, the command considers it an acceptable risk. Out of 200 or so men actually on patrol out of our Battalion, we've had 17 KIA and 25+ WIA, that's 1 in 5 dead or wounded, acceptable?
It's a damn good thing I love my country, because I'm really begining to hate the wankers I've had to serve under.
Scouts Out,
Spc. R. B. Rees
Baghdad, Iraq