Sgt Paddy Caldwell was shot in the neck in Afghanistan by Taleban.
He got a blighty and not a bosh, but true to RSM Lloyd's old dictum - paras do not die without permission because the devil hates standing to attention when we get there - he pulled through.
Shipped back to the UK to Selly Oak - the centre for medical treatment for wounded where Muslim "brothers" get to piss on wounded toms because they have the guts to serve Britain - he gets MRSA which nearly finishes him off when the Taleban couldn't.
Military casualties should not be in civvy wards - and should not be treated by civvy doctors and nurses unless they are under the control of the military and answerable to them - these patients are not in for hip replacements or heart by-passes - they're in hospital because they've been shot up, blown up or otherwise injured because they are casualties of war and that demands a very different standard of care.
Time we took care of our own and veterans deserve better - they have the same rights as all of us, difference is, they put their lives on the line to make sure we have those rights in the first place.
Thursday 8 February 2007
L/Cpl Matty Hull - Blue on Blue
I watched the furore over the release of the tape by the Sun of the A10 cockpit tape of the blue on blue cock-up that resulted in the death of L/Cpl Hull in Iraq.
Fog of war or bloody gung ho incompetence - take your pick but the guy is dead.
One thing about the orange panels - they are bloody useless and always have been, not to mention their use is well known so if you're going up against opposition there's nothing to stop them from using any piece of orange rag.
What pisses me off personally is the arse wipe diplomatic/political crap that has been going on with keeping this quiet - "classified" my arse - there is sod all in that tape that isn't to be found in a host of flight sims that spotty geeks are playing right now.
Feeble bloody excuses by US civvy arsewipes like David Johnson, #2 of the diplomatic mission at the US Embassy London that don't give a shit about the death of a grunt, especially a British one and a couple of nights ago was interviewed on UK TV news - he's more concerned about how this tape got leaked - and that is what really pisses me off, one of ours is dead and several wounded and he is worried more about who leaked the tape ?
The phrase craphat springs to mind but slime sounds better.
If the US wants British military support - British men and women putting their lives on the line - cut the crap and be honest with us or fuck off and fight your own wars.
Answer me this - the fierce fighting is in Afghanistan and Brit troops are the ones dealing with the fight there in Helmand and Kandahar and where are the bloody sceptics ? Bitching about being in Iraq ?
Seems to be somewhat fubar'd given the whole reason to go to war was 9/11 and Afghanistan was where the attack was launched from backed by Saudi money - so why aren't the sceptics in Afghanistan and what has Iraq got to do with this in the 1st place ?
I can't say if the A10 pilots, Popov35 & 36 screwed up or not - I don't know - but the aftermath of trying to bury this by the US and the UK stinks - Blair should remember we're Bulldogs not fucking poodles.
RIP L/cpl Hull
Fog of war or bloody gung ho incompetence - take your pick but the guy is dead.
One thing about the orange panels - they are bloody useless and always have been, not to mention their use is well known so if you're going up against opposition there's nothing to stop them from using any piece of orange rag.
What pisses me off personally is the arse wipe diplomatic/political crap that has been going on with keeping this quiet - "classified" my arse - there is sod all in that tape that isn't to be found in a host of flight sims that spotty geeks are playing right now.
Feeble bloody excuses by US civvy arsewipes like David Johnson, #2 of the diplomatic mission at the US Embassy London that don't give a shit about the death of a grunt, especially a British one and a couple of nights ago was interviewed on UK TV news - he's more concerned about how this tape got leaked - and that is what really pisses me off, one of ours is dead and several wounded and he is worried more about who leaked the tape ?
The phrase craphat springs to mind but slime sounds better.
If the US wants British military support - British men and women putting their lives on the line - cut the crap and be honest with us or fuck off and fight your own wars.
Answer me this - the fierce fighting is in Afghanistan and Brit troops are the ones dealing with the fight there in Helmand and Kandahar and where are the bloody sceptics ? Bitching about being in Iraq ?
Seems to be somewhat fubar'd given the whole reason to go to war was 9/11 and Afghanistan was where the attack was launched from backed by Saudi money - so why aren't the sceptics in Afghanistan and what has Iraq got to do with this in the 1st place ?
I can't say if the A10 pilots, Popov35 & 36 screwed up or not - I don't know - but the aftermath of trying to bury this by the US and the UK stinks - Blair should remember we're Bulldogs not fucking poodles.
RIP L/cpl Hull
Monday 29 January 2007
WISDOM - FROM THE MILITARY MANUAL
"A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit." - Army's magazine of preventive maintenance.
------------------------------------------------------
"Aim towards the Enemy." - Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher
------------------------------------------------------
"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend. - U.S. Marine Corps
------------------------------------------------------
"Cluster bombing from B-52s are very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground." - USAF Ammo Troop
------------------------------------------------------
"If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal-----------------------------------------------------
"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed." - U.S. Air Force Manual
------------------------------------------------------
"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons." - General Macarthur
-----------------------------------------------------
"Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo." - Infantry Journal
------------------------------------------------------
"You, you, and you .. Panic. The rest of you, come with me." - U.S. Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.
------------------------------------------------------
"Tracers work both ways." - U.S. Army Ordnance <>- -----------------------------------------------------
"Five second fuses only last three seconds." - Infantry Journal
-------------------------------------------------------
"Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't ever volunteer to do anything." - U.S. Navy Swabbie
---------------------------------------------------
"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid." - David Hackworth
-------------------------------------------------------
"If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush." - Infantry Journal
- --------------------------------------------------------
"No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection." - Joe Gay
------------------------------------------------------
"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once."
------------------------------------------------------
"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do." - Unknown Marine Recruit
-------------------------------------------------------
"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you." - Your Buddies
---------------------------------- ---------------------
"If you see a bomb technician running, follow him." - USAF Ammo Troop
-------------------------------------------------------
"Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing." - At the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base Kadena, Japan
-------------------------------------------------------
"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3." - Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)
-------------------------------------------------------
"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."
-------------------------------------------------------
"Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky." - From an old carrier sailor
------------------------------------------------------
"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."
-------------------------------------------------------
"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash."
-------------------------------------------------------
"Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club."
-------------------------------------------------------
"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, .... The pilot dies."
-------------------------------------------------------
"Never trade luck for skill."
-------------------------------------------------------
The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in aviation are: "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" And "Oh S...!"
------------------------------------------------------
"Progress in airline flying: now a flight attendant can get a pilot pregnant."
-------------------------------------------------------
"Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully comple te the flight."
-------------------------------------------------------
"A smooth landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication."
-------------------------------------------------------
"I remember when sex was safe and flying was dangerous."
---------------------------------------------------------
"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!"
-------------------------------------------------------
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."
--------------------------------------------------------
"Th e Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you." - Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
-------------------------------------------------------
"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime." - Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970
---------------------------------------------------------
"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."
---------------------------------------------------------
"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal."
--------------------------------------------------------------
As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?".
The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!" - Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
and finally......................
The difference between tabbing and yomping is tabbing don't have a speed limit !
------------------------------------------------------
"Aim towards the Enemy." - Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher
------------------------------------------------------
"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend. - U.S. Marine Corps
------------------------------------------------------
"Cluster bombing from B-52s are very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground." - USAF Ammo Troop
------------------------------------------------------
"If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal-----------------------------------------------------
"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed." - U.S. Air Force Manual
------------------------------------------------------
"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons." - General Macarthur
-----------------------------------------------------
"Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo." - Infantry Journal
------------------------------------------------------
"You, you, and you .. Panic. The rest of you, come with me." - U.S. Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.
------------------------------------------------------
"Tracers work both ways." - U.S. Army Ordnance <>- -----------------------------------------------------
"Five second fuses only last three seconds." - Infantry Journal
-------------------------------------------------------
"Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't ever volunteer to do anything." - U.S. Navy Swabbie
---------------------------------------------------
"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid." - David Hackworth
-------------------------------------------------------
"If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush." - Infantry Journal
- --------------------------------------------------------
"No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection." - Joe Gay
------------------------------------------------------
"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once."
------------------------------------------------------
"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do." - Unknown Marine Recruit
-------------------------------------------------------
"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you." - Your Buddies
---------------------------------- ---------------------
"If you see a bomb technician running, follow him." - USAF Ammo Troop
-------------------------------------------------------
"Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing." - At the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base Kadena, Japan
-------------------------------------------------------
"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3." - Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)
-------------------------------------------------------
"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."
-------------------------------------------------------
"Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky." - From an old carrier sailor
------------------------------------------------------
"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."
-------------------------------------------------------
"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash."
-------------------------------------------------------
"Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club."
-------------------------------------------------------
"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, .... The pilot dies."
-------------------------------------------------------
"Never trade luck for skill."
-------------------------------------------------------
The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in aviation are: "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" And "Oh S...!"
------------------------------------------------------
"Progress in airline flying: now a flight attendant can get a pilot pregnant."
-------------------------------------------------------
"Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully comple te the flight."
-------------------------------------------------------
"A smooth landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication."
-------------------------------------------------------
"I remember when sex was safe and flying was dangerous."
---------------------------------------------------------
"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!"
-------------------------------------------------------
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."
--------------------------------------------------------
"Th e Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you." - Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
-------------------------------------------------------
"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime." - Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970
---------------------------------------------------------
"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."
---------------------------------------------------------
"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal."
--------------------------------------------------------------
As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?".
The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!" - Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
and finally......................
The difference between tabbing and yomping is tabbing don't have a speed limit !
Monday 22 January 2007
Jump Master Dance
This is a YouTube video sent through to me - it is funny as the proverbial.
Thanks to Keith for sending this one in.
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