05Aug06

Excellent follow-up comment from a friend a student:

"I am struck by the similarity of Montgomery's naive thinking to the ever-present, and similarly falsely seductive, 'one-shot stop. =99 No doubt seduced by Hollywood's fraudulent portrayal of their pistol=80=99s mighty 'stopping power,' many naively expect a single handgun bullet to stop any determined attacke r in his tracks. As Montgomery foolishly forgot (or, blinded by his lust for glory, ignored), THE ENEMY GETS TO VOTE TOO! The adolescent expectation of a ' one-shot stop' may well prove fatal, as you risk mentally disengagi ng too soon.

As you are light-heartedly planning your victory celebration, your determined adversary may well continue his deadly attack, undeterred, undela yed, and unimpressed, and you may not find the time to re-engage! A mental =80 Bridge Too Far,' if you will."

My late, great colleague, Pierce Brooks, once listed the "Ten Deadly Sins" committed by police officers. Of the Ten, the most venomous is "Rel axing Too Soon!"

/John

05Aug06

Important details from a friend currently in Iraq:

Nearly all soldiers and Marines here now have ACOGs or EOTechs mounted on their rifles. Most are of the opinion that these optics significantly incr ease their ability to hit quickly. Even SAWs have optics!

There is still a lot of green-tip in use, but the Black Hills 77gr round is

seen a lot too, particularly among Marines. However, bitter complaints persist among veterans about lack of range and inadequate penetration. Mos t contractors (including me) get their hands on a Kalashnikov, in 7.62X39 (So viet 30) the first chance they get, knowing the cartridge to be superior to the 223, in every way.

On that vein, we contractors are admonished, on pain of termination, to never use, or even possess, any weapon that is not US-government issued. T hat regulation, like all stupid rules, is universally, and contemptuously, igno red! We are all finding ways of purchasing and concealing private firearms and blades. Around here, we are much more worried about getting killed or kidnapped than getting fired. Duh!

Everyone here carries a blade, usually several! Every conceivable variatio n of fighting knife can be seen on an individual's belt, or tucked in his waistband. This is a good trend and a wonderful example of personal initia tive on the part of our Soldiers and Marines.

There are still lots NDs here, nearly all among 'cold-range=80 types. Muzzle consciousness is lax. We need more professional-gunman discipline and less

politically-correct, nanny-state training!

Keep pushing the System in the right direction, John!"

Comment: In all likelihood, this nation is going to be at war, continuously , for the remainder of our lifetimes! We need to return to our heritage of a

nation of warriors, a nation of professional gunmen. Right now, we're too much a nation of clueless wimps, and current military training is (obviousl y) insufficient to overcome this "loser orientation."

It can't be said too often: it is way past time to move on from the 223! W e need a real battle cartridge that is (1) effective at long distances and (2 ) shoots through things. We can get new airplanes, new missiles, new vehicles, even a new pistol, but, for some reason, we can't seem to get a n ew rifle!

As the world continues to plummet toward a new Dark Age, we will need every

advantage this civilization can deliver!

/John