Happened upon this gem. Funny stuff!

Better than Top Gun?

Check out this mega-ultra super awesome video of flight deck ops aboard the supercarriers of the US Navy!

Mav, out.

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.

I'm... bach.

Wow... I honestly didn't expect to be so tied up with work and all. I got three emails asking about what the project Mav and I had planned...

Well, right now, ZD30 runs on Blogger. Not necessarily a bad thing, but, we'd be able to make it even better and reach a wider audience if we went independent and formed an actual website. We're still thinking this through, so there's a possibility that such a thing might occur and there's also the possibility that such a thing won't.

You'll just have to wait and see!



Iceman out.

2-week Hiatus

Folks, once again I need to apologize. I realize that some of you are waiting around for the other 2 parts of the Aardvark series, but currently Mav and I are in the middle of a project, possibly one that could affect the future of ZD30 and maybe bring our content to an even larger audience.

Thanks for the concern voiced in some of your emails, we really appreciate you guys tuning in!


Iceman out.

Never Forget

When those towers fell, when the plane hit the Pentagon, and when those brave passengers rose up to fight the hijackers on United 93, Islamic fundamentalists struck not only at a country, but at hearts and injected fear into those who'd never felt it before on such a level.

2996 innocent men and women dead at the hands of these creatures we so generously award the title of man, though we know them to be no better than animals.

Too often, the peace and relative tranquility we assume to be an everyday part of our lives is ignored and left to the presumption that it will never be challenged and that our days will go on as usual. When these challenges come, we are devastated but imbued with the realization and knowledge that such peace is always threatened at the hands of those who live their lives along a very distorted code, preaching a gospel of violence, hatred and authoritarianism.

A new generation of Americans rose up to the challenge. As one author put it, they were essentially condemned to the dregs of society, the ones who'd go nowhere with the advent of the internet, computer boom, etc. But, these young men and women stood up and proved everyone wrong, immediately taking the burden of national defense upon their young shoulders, striving to give their everything for their country in it's time of need. 

Thank God that such men and women lived. Pray for the eternal rest of those who died on this day, especially those first-responders who rushed through the dust and charred metal to help, too many of whom gave their lives to save others, while everyone else fled the fiery fate their fellow citizen had met moments earlier.

Pray that such an attack never occurs again, and that those responsible in any way shape or form for this and any related violence carried out upon the innocent are stopped by whatever means necessary.

Iceman's Answers: Special Operations and Timepieces

This is another question I see floating around every now and then. Not something pressing, but still interesting nevertheless.

"What kind of watch does a spec ops guy use and where can I get it?"
-Harrison

Well, the popular ones out there seem to be the Luminox brand which claims to be built for SEALs. According to a few SEALs who I have the pleasure of knowing, Luminox doesn't really live up to their hype. Their watches fall apart, break, or just flat-out stop working especially in stressful environments. They preferred inexpensive Timex or Casio wristwatches, reliable and easy to replace if ever broken.

Aside from the current Timex/Casio favorites, there are costlier alternatives that have a few more bells and whistles added on, a few of which were praised by a couple other friends of mine who've served time in the special operations community. Suunto, Resco Instruments and MTM are three recommended brands that offer incredibly reliable timepieces. Quite a few of Suunto's mid-range/higher-end watches come with a digital compass, altimeter, barometer, etc. Very cool and useful. Having owned a Suunto Core, I can definitely vouch for their reliability. Another friend used a Rolex. Not exactly something too affordable for the average camper or hiker interested in a durable timepiece, but nevertheless, it worked.

Resco Instruments is actually owned and run by a former Navy SEAL, so if you want something that's tailored for "high performance and high class", I'd definitely suggest you check them out.

Luminox

MTM

Suunto

Check these out!

Resco Instruments

Timex

MTM 

Suunto

Iceman out.