They Came in Peace.

It happened on this day, 29 years ago.

At 0620, a truck loaded with 12,000 lbs of TNT smashed through fences and a gate outside the US Marine barracks at the Beirut Airport. The truck bomb detonated at the BLT headquarters, literally lifting the entire building from its foundations. As the building settled back into the cavity where the concrete support pillars once were, it collapsed, killing scores of Marines, sailors and soldiers almost instantly. Entire platoons wiped out while they were resting in the relative comfort of the BLT HQ. Officers and enlisted alike, killed, as they went about their daily duties. In all, 241, dead, many more injured.

The last survivor was pulled from the rubble, 52 hours later.


Rest in peace, gentlemen.

Iceman out.

Iceman's Answers: Should I learn to shoot before I join?

Haven't done one of these in a while, so let's start with a question I see popping up somewhat frequently.

Will learning to shoot before I join give me an edge over fellow recruits, and possibly help me get through the advanced marksmanship schools?

Short answer: No.
This time round, I've actually got the input of two different people who've served in the military, and with their kind permission, I've posted it below:

Daniel (US Army, Infantry)- My dad taught me to hunt when I was really young. I developed habits with positioning of the rifle, my stance, and such, eventually all of which were broken and redeveloped on the range during Basic for me. The drill sgts have their own method of teaching you and they want you to perform a certain way. They expect you to be ready to fire your weapon in combat if the need arises. It isn't the same as carrying an old .30-06 with your pops and brothers around the woods looking for buck. So no, learning to shoot beforehand won't really give you any advantage. It might actually impede you a little. As for getting to SS school, that's all you. Learning to shoot a long gun before signing up may give you less of a hard time than others because if you look at it, the rifles our snipers use are pretty much hunting rifles except.. for hunting people lol. 

Len (Canadian Army, Infantry, sniper)- In all honesty it really doesn't make sense to learn something like that before you get over to BMQ. You'll learn the basics eventually, and it's not something that's overly difficult to grasp. I hadn't even seen a gun up close let alone touched one when I joined up in 05. My advice is to focus more on getting yourself physically prepared. For someone who's out of shape, that's going to be your worst enemy. It's very physically-demanding and your instructors aren't going to let up on you.

Ice on opinions and the internet.

Politics is a subject that isn't really something I'm too fond of talking about in person. It's not the job of the warfighter to get involved in politics. A lot of people don't really agree with my views, and I definitely don't agree with the views of a lot of others. But, there's a first for everything. So let's talk.

Well, recently, I've heard stories circulating around about a certain former Marine named Brandon Raub, who was detained by a combination of local police officers, FBI and Secret Service agents, due to the fact that his Facebook page contained suspicious material. That seemed to have taken off, and it's grown into a whole "NDAA/police-state" panic, mostly around the libertarian/Ron Paul support crowd. 

First off, I don't really agree with libertarians or Ron Paul... at all... mostly since I'm a strong conservative. I don't agree with their fear about the government turning into a Big Brother-esque police state where everything is controlled and regulated by the government, and those who voice their dissent are thrown in a dark hole. I don't agree with their opinion on the current Republican presidential nominee and his running mate. In fact, I have great respect for both those men. I don't agree with their views on foreign policy, which, let's face it, are absolutely positively messed  up. I'd honestly rather have a liberal Democratic president in office than a centrist who plays to both sides. If you take a look at it, the Ron Paul movement currently borders on anarchy.

That ties in to what I wanted to talk about today. 

Brandon Raub, a Marine with multiple deployments under his belt was supposedly arrested without his rights read to him, and is being held indefinitely for "voicing his opinion" on the current government. The libertarian crowd calls him a patriot. 

Well, that's where views take a change. I've seen far too many people post threatening, radical comments, statuses, messages, etc., calling for a revolution, violence against the government and such. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on the matter, but when you get to the point where you're put on a district watch list by a federal agency or two, and they come knocking on your door to take you in for assessment, then you know you went way too far on what you were saying. Posting messages and statuses like that isn't patriotism at all, it's anarchy. It's a warning light that goes off on the boards of federal agencies that are established to protect the American people, not harass them as Ron Paul's fans would have you believe. 

In Raub's case, something that got especially highlighted, was that the USSS was in on the "arrest". That should tell you a few things. If the Secret Service got involved, then he was either doing something extremely dirty with money or he was making credible threats of violence against protectees of the USSS. If the Secret Service got involved, then it's nothing new. It's part of their SOP concerning protectees. They get tons of threats every day but there are few that stand out enough to get them concerned to check out the guy to make sure if he's mentally stable or completely serious. Not to mention, with the FBI itself, it takes A LOT of paperwork and going through channels before any special agent gets the authorization to step out on official business. So there's a good chance that what this guy posted online be it on Facebook or whatever website it was, was heavy enough to turn a few higher ups' heads. Waaaaaaait a second, the FBI were the ones leading the detainment, right? What does that tell us? If Raub was only about politics, then he might've presented himself as a domestic terror threat. That's reason enough for just the FBI and local LEO to get involved. Then the Secret Service steps in, so that means he was actually threatening someone of governmental importance.

Don't see any threats on his page? Well, you know... Facebook does have a "delete" option...

When you post anything about a revolution, add a few more words to that subject that hint at violence, etc, now you're getting those federal LEOs worried. For all they know, you could be a terror threat. What some people don't realize, is that EVERYTHING is monitored on the internet these days. It's been this way since 9/11.

And for good reason. I don't mind the alphabet soup agencies monitoring the airwaves at all, if it's to safeguard the nation and those the people elected to serve them in office. I would mind when it gets to personal harassment, just for the hell of it or on a whim, or whatever. That's when things get too far. But the fact is, things haven't gotten that way AT ALL. The FBI, DEA, NSA, CIA, ABC 123, whatever they are, are there for your protection. Seriously. They don't have it out for anyone but the bad guys, so try and remember that. 

Back to the point, anything you say can be misconstrued or taken out of context. But, if you keep posting that stuff, people are going to get more concerned. 

The point is, especially for ex-military and current active/reserve, don't go around voicing radical opinions on the internet, threaten anarchy veiled as a "revolution", then raise mass panic about getting taken in for questions because of the things you say. 

Alright, that's enough for now. Time for a few beers and a BBQ.

Iceman out.

Part of... huh?

Recently, pop-star Katy Perry released her new "hit" single, Part of Me. The music video featured members of the United States Marine Corps, especially female Marines, during what seemed to be a very fast transition from a watered down version of intake, boot camp and then actual combat. The video was shot on site, at Camp Pendleton, CA, and used actual USMC equipment and personnel.

I, personally, feel that the video was misleading, and not at all faithful to the majority of those who choose to serve in today's military. After breaking up with her boyfriend, Perry's character sees a sticker in a gas station that promotes female Marines as being the toughest of the lot. So, she enlists without further thought. Now, you go anywhere on-base in the US, whether it be at Travis AFB, Ft. Benning, Norfolk or Camp Lejeune, you will find that the majority of Marines, airmen, sailors and soldiers will tell you, truthfully, that they enlisted or were commissioned because they wanted to serve their country, nothing else. See, the military doesn't take people who want to run away from their previous life, whether it was one filled with crime or illegal activity, or it was one filled with debt and financial loss. The military only accepts those who come up to their standard, and truly display a love of country so strong that they're willing to take the oath, train and get in the fight. Perry's video makes the military come across as a refuge for those hurt with petty issues.

Another issue I had with the video, is that she portrays herself as a member of a combat unit. As you may know, the DoD did authorize females of a certain rank to be present in a combat unit in a purely administrative role. This does not mean that women have been integrated into combat MOSs (Military Occupational Specialty) and I don't think this will happen for years and years to come. It seems, these days, that a lot of young women want the thrill of combat. Now, women actually do, occasionally get shot at, and get the chance to return fire, in Afghanistan, and previously Iraq. The thing is, these women are NOT in combat MOSs, and aren't guaranteed action! I'm willing to bet, after viewing this, a ton of young females interested in joining the military went over to their local recruiting office and asked for an 03 or 11B MOS!

Tim Kennedy (Awesome MMA fighter/Special Forces operator), did an awesome job parodying the video! I recommend it to everyone!