tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486091724602248905.post7379862080906391587..comments2023-06-25T20:42:38.014-07:00Comments on CI-Roller Dude: Oh Two Bravo- Team Leader, part 3...CI-Roller Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850472230525879415noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486091724602248905.post-16359909640485942062010-01-19T05:30:14.534-08:002010-01-19T05:30:14.534-08:001. Got hearts and flowers about the Corps at The B...1. Got hearts and flowers about the Corps at The Basic School.<br />2. Reality set in upon joining the fleet.<br />3. The Army had a saying, "Play the game."<br />4. The Marines didn't say that, but we lived it.<br />5. Like the "blame matrix." Sounds like a LPA discussion over beers in a safe (non O Club) location.<br />6. Even though I had enlisted time in both services, was unprepared for the administrative realities I faced in leadership.<br />7. All of a sudden the garbage my NCO's had always whined about became my reality.<br />8. My good NCO's educated me and saved my butt repeatedly, both physically and administratively.<br />9. A big difference between the US forces and those of most other countries I served with, was that few of them a had cadres of experienced NCO's like we did.<br />10. In most services the enlisted ranks are treated like crap and jr. officers do the jobs our NCO's do.<br />11. Problem is, the jr. officers don't know much more than the troops do.<br />12. Enough of this.<br />13. Where is that hellish place in the bottom photograph?<br />14. Particularly like the entrance way.<br />V/R JWestAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486091724602248905.post-51965793317178875222010-01-18T18:48:16.143-08:002010-01-18T18:48:16.143-08:00Anon...Yep, I that's my own private bike. Yam...Anon...Yep, I that's my own private bike. Yamaha 1100 V-Star. <br />Looks like a Harley, but doesn't have all the mechanical problems Harleys have and was half the price.CI-Roller Dudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10850472230525879415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486091724602248905.post-29463120391685988772010-01-18T18:00:40.398-08:002010-01-18T18:00:40.398-08:00So does that cool bike get to retire with you? ni...So does that cool bike get to retire with you? niiiiice...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486091724602248905.post-38796246141166267072010-01-18T07:47:41.010-08:002010-01-18T07:47:41.010-08:00Mr West,
I think the Army officers study a "B...Mr West,<br />I think the Army officers study a "Blame Matrix" in Officer School. They spend weeks learning how to avoid responsibilty, shifting blame and stuff like that.<br />I prefer to figure the real problem and then fix it. <br /><br />If the fixing requires great amounts of ordanance and weapons, I'm much happier. <br /><br />Coming UP: <br /><br />Repeat of Super Bowl Sunday in Baghdad 2005.<br /><br />How to kill or capture an insurgent.<br /><br />5150's (mentally ill) citizens in police work. <br /><br />and more...CI-Roller Dudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10850472230525879415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486091724602248905.post-90994750786949801812010-01-18T05:20:23.363-08:002010-01-18T05:20:23.363-08:001. Great story -particularly with regard to them q...1. Great story -particularly with regard to them questioning you about your TL's actions. <br />2. In my neck of the woods, something bad happened, my superiors were always looking for a scapegoat.<br />3. After higher was notified of the problem, the first response would be, "What have you done about it?"<br />4. Your reply better make mention of whose scalp you were waving.<br />5. Watched this happen in the Army -as a youngster with dim comprehension of what was going on.<br />6. As a Marine officer, good documentation saved my butt a couple times when incidents happened in units I commanded.<br />7. Two temporary assignments were made to clean up messes following the relief of other people. My choice was based on the assumption I know the bureaucratic ropes, since I had been able to protect myself on previous occasions. (Credit to a couple savvy 1st Sgts who were on my side)<br />8. In one case, the fault was all mine regardless of the fact I had made several attempts to correct the situation -documented, of course. Knew it was a bad situation and should have pushed harder.<br />9. Communications is the name of the game in the mess kit repair business.<br />10. That's the heart and soul of MG Flynn's 28 page document on mess kit repair in Afghanistan. He's right, but making a significant change in 18 months strikes me as wishful thinking.<br />11. Mid-nineties, an Army WO named Tourison wrote a book about MKR in VN.<br />12. In it, he claimed that the CIA had files on all the local VC units down to squad level. <br />13. These were collected from interrogations carried out by CIA, Army and Vietnamese MKR types and placed in file cabinets in a compound on Ton Son Nhut airbase.<br />14. The information was rarely disseminated.<br />15. Apparently the CIA feared their sources and methods would be compromised.<br />16. Let me translate this for you into real effects: When my unit went on patrol, we generally had no idea who was out there.<br />17. A couple of times we were warned that large NVA units were in the area. Thank god, nothing came of those.<br />18. There are names on the wall because of failure to disseminate information that we possessed.<br />19. Find that impossible to forgive.<br />20. Fast forward to 2003. During the invasion, the commanders of the 1st MARDIV and 3rd ID had little knowledge of the capabilities and intentions of their opponents. <br />21. Friends that were there tell me that half the movement was made in MOPP 3.<br />22. In this case, the CIA (and members of the other 13-odd lettered US MKR agencies)knew nothing. Overheads (NRO and AF) and signal intercepts (NSA and ASA)were practically all the info commanders received.<br />23. If it sounds like I'm bitter, I've communicated well.<br />V/R JWestAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486091724602248905.post-55699699756067910962010-01-17T16:42:27.597-08:002010-01-17T16:42:27.597-08:00CP,
The dumbass captian did eventually go to Iraq ...CP,<br />The dumbass captian did eventually go to Iraq with another unit later...and for some odd,unknown reason he retired as soon as he came back from that job... I just hope the dumbass didn't get anybody killed. <br /><br />AM, "She's as sweet as tupelo honey..." and I am not talking about my motor cycle. (but the bike is second.)CI-Roller Dudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10850472230525879415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486091724602248905.post-63480078125856797932010-01-17T14:52:07.652-08:002010-01-17T14:52:07.652-08:00Great post and I must say I do love listening to V...Great post and I must say I do love listening to Van Morrison as I read your words.<br />~AMAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10433907044785046226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486091724602248905.post-55367659407028309842010-01-17T13:54:55.463-08:002010-01-17T13:54:55.463-08:00Bring'em on, Dude. I like to read'em.
It&...Bring'em on, Dude. I like to read'em.<br /><br />It's a shame the captain wasn't retired, too. But I bet he got a medal instead. Officers do that for each other.Coffeypothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08601474604616163167noreply@blogger.com