When in a firefight DON"T DO THIS

[JRH]

Originally Posted by Paparock

Don't stand there trying to figure out what that strange sound is as bullets snap past your head when a sniper is shooting at you from so far away you can't hear the rifle reports until your Platoon Sergeant tackles you especially when you are a 2Lt. as it is first embarrassing and second the platoon really wonders about you when they see you kissing the Platoon Sergeant. LOL

?? You get tackled and they thought you and the Sgt were making out? Run on sentences lead to confusion. So when they realize that its bullets zipping past them did it make them seek cover or start tackling each other? I also thought that you tend to hear the rifle shot anyways no matter the distance, just that the sound follows the bullet margin(depending on caliber and load). If subsonic with a suppressor then I understand only hearing the bullets.

[Paparock]

Originally Posted by JRH

?? You get tackled and they thought you and the Sgt were making out? Run on sentences lead to confusion. So when they realize that its bullets zipping past them did it make them seek cover or start tackling each other? I also thought that you tend to hear the rifle shot anyways no matter the distance, just that the sound follows the bullet margin(depending on caliber and load). If subsonic with a suppressor then I understand only hearing the bullets.

I added some to my first post to hopefully help make it clearer (I was attempting humor) but no! It was very clear as the Platoon Sgt. tackled me he was yelling "COVER". He and I had an excellent working relationship because my father had been a First Sgt. raising me right. I told him from day one he knew more than I would ever know about running the platoon due to the time I was going to be in and to "please keep me alive" which he did. He even gave me the compliment that I was the first 2Lt. with brains he had ever met.

In a matter of fact if there was a flaw in the command structure of my unit it was that my brigade commander was always riding me and the other junior officers about what he viewed as fraternizing with the senior NCOs in our units. I was always getting chewed on about it but just became smarter about hiding the time I spent with my senior NCOs because what I was doing was not fraternizing with them but pumping them for all I could trying to become a better more knowledgeable officer. My Colonel wanted me to just spend more time with the other Lieutenants and Captains however I had already learned all they knew and I tried to explain to him but to no avail. The senior NCOs held such a vast knowledge of combat experience, booby traps, and had seen so many ambushes and traps laid and sprung that they could offer critical information that could cut critical reaction times or even prevent mistakes from even being made. It only made sense to learn from the men that had such vast first had knowledge and experience even if I had to hide doing it. It allowed me to grow in knowledge while showing these men upon who I depended that I valued their experience and wisdom gained over their years of long service. These were not social events but more like tactical platoon practices where the bond between senior NCOs and I grew stronger. I would go to all the senior NCOs in my unit for their best kept secrets and it was amazing what I could learn.Too bad the commander of the brigade could not see the benefit of such unit strengthening. He never could understand why the 2Lt. he most despised could have the highest scoring platoon in his brigade.

[Jim B]

Some people are their own worst enemy! Before I relocated, my then best friend had served in the Army as an electronic warfare/jammer guy. Some things he could talk about and others he could not. The reason he left what was otherwise a job he loved (sending tanks on maneuvers to run out of gas, etc) was because of a CO that was just impossible for him to talk to. I mean, this guy (best friend) was brilliant.....such a shame.....how he's a programmer in private sector, but his passion was mis-directing information or getting it without others knowing.....amazing man.

J