Originally posted by Toad
Dark of the Moon. Count on it. Just after the Ides of March, in fact.
Mr. Toad! I’ve been talking to a few AHers who served in Iraq in the first phase of this war in 1991. I’ve even exchanged a couple of emails with your squaddie who is “in theatre”, as you put it in another post – well-wishing stuff etc. And I was talking with a guy on AH voice comms (wonder if hitech or skuzzy were listening in – lol) about weapons, and that the US servicemen have a special scope/gunsight. This guy fought in the first phase of this war – in 1991. No details forthcoming about the gunsight – Classified! But I was able to be told that the scope your guys will use is electrically powered. I didn’t press for further details, once I knew I was onto sensitive stuff, but as one who knows little/nothing about guns, one assumes that the scope allows for enhanced night vision, possibly with thermal imaging. Given that it’s going to be almost April by the time this thing starts, I can think of 240,000 reasons for night ops – our servicemen. Surely they cannot be expected to perform properly in daytime desert heat? This is yet another reason I get frustrated with UN/French prevarication. The longer they delay, the greater the difficulty facing our servicemen. Surely no-one thinks it’s not going to happen?
Baghdad weather - latest Anyway, when you said about the Ides of March, and the dark of the moon, I wondered if you were alluding to a supposition that a substantial part of the job in hand will be done at night, giving our guys the edge with special scopes and other western technology.
On a final note about Marines/SAS/American Special Forces, I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised by their generally high level of education and gentlemanly demeanour, having communicated with quite a few by voxx or email. A guy in my WB squad was a US Marine, and I had to ask him to confirm it because he seemed so pleasant and mild mannered! These are the
real men. Geez, I bet they could teach a thing or two to some of the gun toting wannabes who pontificate in certain other BBS posts I could mention.
