SwiftVets.com

[four-niner delta]

It was this kind of indecision that brought about the Cole bombing. These officers should fit right in with the "new" Madam Clintion Administration! The Iranians are LTAO. Pathetic.
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Gary Armitstead
Burbank, CA
U.S. Army Vietnam 1966-67 Mekong Delta
Mobile Riverine Force
A Co. 3/60 9th INF DIV

[GoophyDog]

Don't ya just love rear area or monday morning quarterbacking?

This author probably has no clue as to what ROE the ships were operating under or what the security zone distances were. Couple that with a blind eye to other spoutings Iran has made in the past and his ignorance is rather blatant.

Bush said it in the most forward diplomatic way possible - a provocative act. Taken alone it sets the stage for an ROE change and the probable obliteration of any boats approaching in a similar manner. The first time out of the gate it would have been our fault for being the aggressor, now we are firmly the innocent party, simply protecting ourselves.
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Why ask? Because it needs asking.

[I B Squidly]

We've been playing these games with Iran for 20 years. Why it's news now is likely as Goophy says to justify the next encounter. Obliterating these buggers isn't as easy as it sounds. They're low so targeting radars lose them in the chop. They're too fast for the 5". 50 cals can't be counted on to stop them. We toyed with quad M60 mounts but the Navy decided to issue Stingers to combat them. Sounded okay but what does that heat seeker seek on an outboard motor?
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"KILL ALL THE LAWYERS!"

-Wlm Shakespeare

[four-niner delta]

IMHO these officers SHOULD be second-guessed AND monday-morning quarterbacked. This is a new time. These guys were terrorists and Iran is a known terrorist state. How much closer were they supposed ro get before we blow them out of the water. If I'm not mistaken, we were in international waters AND they threatened to blow-up our ships in two minutes. That is on the video and audio of the incident. The hell with worrying about starting an international incident or pissing off Iran. Shoot first and ask questions later. This sounds more like the British navy than the most powerful Navy in the world. I agree with Peters 100%. Like Glenn Beck says "Call me crazy, but....".
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Gary Armitstead
Burbank, CA
U.S. Army Vietnam 1966-67 Mekong Delta
Mobile Riverine Force
A Co. 3/60 9th INF DIV

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Interesting.

When the lefties started screaming about the officer firing a gun near an insurgent in order to prompt him to talk, reasonable people reasonably agreed that there was more to the situation than what we knew.

We agreed that officer had the immediate intel and did what he did to save lives. We agreed that we didn't have any business second-guessing his actions because we weren't there and we didn't have the whole story.

So, why don't the skippers on these warships get the same benefit of the doubt?

My son is below the waterline. I admit that I have an intensely personal interest in how these little dances are handled.
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~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[four-niner delta]

My son served in Iraq for 15 months in 2004-5 as a Combat medic and a commander whether on a ship or on the ground as a squad leader needs to make snap decisions to protect his men foremost. With the liberal news media and our "old pal" John Murtha squawking constantly, our military has become gun-shy.
_________________
Gary Armitstead
Burbank, CA
U.S. Army Vietnam 1966-67 Mekong Delta
Mobile Riverine Force
A Co. 3/60 9th INF DIV