Originally posted by Minskaya
View Post
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
US to allow women into combat arms roles.
Collapse
X
-
Originally posted by sated buddha View PostA colleague just came back from a 12 day stint in Siberia for some work. Like the US, Russia too seems to be fighting a battle of the bulge now. Lots of obesity. A waste of good genes if you ask me personally.sigpic
Comment
-
Originally posted by Minskaya View PostWay back when, Vikings intermixed with the local indigenous Slavic peoples (Russia/Ukraine/Belarus) and formed the first kingdoms. ::shrug:: Perhaps that genetic influence is contributory.
I myself am 193 cm (6.4 feet)sigpic
Comment
-
Originally posted by Minskaya View PostObesity is oftentimes a downside of prosperity. My weight is just about right for my height and frame. Not skinny. Not chunky.
Comment
-
What I carried depended on the length of the mission I was going on. On my last combat tour I didn't even have to carry a ruck sack or assault pack most of the time and I still carried about 75lbs worth of equipment.
When I was working in small kill teams we would go out for 24 hours to 7 days on foot, by ourselves, in bad guy territory. I would regularly be carrying over 100 lbs worth of equipment. My machine gunner was easily carrying 120lbs of equipment. We carried all of that AND had to infiltrate to our hide locations. I was 5'8 and about 155lbs at the time. We operated in temperatures from 30F to 140F. During the hot months it wasn't unusual to lose 10 or more lbs on a single mission lasting 3 days. We tried to eat only local foods so our smell was more like the locals. Because of that we were often fighting ailments from the food we ate like dysentery. We still pushed through with our missions though.
By the end of my first 2 combat tours, the optempo was so high and the conditions so deplorable that myself and my teammates resembled concentration camp survivors. We were gaunt, our eyes were sunken in, we had lost a great deal of weight, and the skin was pulled taught over our faces. As a matter of fact, when I came home from my first combat tour and my sister saw me she was pissed. She didn't realize until that very moment how much of a toll being in combat and combat arms takes on a person. I was barely recognizable...
As far as suiting up, again, depending on the mission it takes between 2 and 5 minutes to put everything on. If I tried to go real fast I imagine I could get the time down faster. Suiting up is more of a ritual for me personally anyways. I take my time and do everything exactly the same as I've done it for years. That way I don't miss anything and...well...I've survived this long...wouldn't want to change anything and then change my fate...it sounds stupid, but luck it much appreciated in combat and I feel like that ritual brings me luck.
Comment
-
Originally posted by Norseman View PostAre you asking because you don´t know what tasks the Danes are performing in Helmand or because you doubt our performance there?
Cheers!...on the rocks!!
Comment
-
Originally posted by sated buddha View PostMan those are astounding figures! That's like (by average Indian adult weight context) carrying a person on your back over long distances and fighting at the same time. Is this specific to caucasoid military forces because they are naturally bigger and stronger or would even Asians, Indians, etc. who are smaller in comparison carry as much? Lemontree?
Ideally you have 3 day - 7 day patrols that require different loads. Any patrol that is more that 3 days should be vehicle borne or have pack animals to carry the heavy loads.
The ideal weight carried by our men on patrols is about 40 pounds/ 20 kgs and that also depends on the length of the patrol. Carrying too much load will slow one down.
A light load enables you to focus on your patrol route, map and security drills. With a heavy load, you just put your head down and plod along.
Cheers!...on the rocks!!
Comment
-
Originally posted by lemontree View PostThe ideal weight carried by our men on patrols is about 40 pounds/ 20 kgs and that also depends on the length of the patrol. Carrying too much load will slow one down.
So I'm guessing that since I don't think our equipment is superior (and hence lighter) than what the western soldiers carry, including body armor, there must be a lot which our soldiers either do not get or do not carry? Because there is a huge difference between 20 kilos and 50-80 kilos. I still cannot understand how any man can carry that much and still be an effective fighting unit.
Last night I was watching U.S.C. (Ultimate Soldier Challenge) on Discovery - between the private military Contractors, the 82nd Airborne, and the Israeli Defence Forces. Teams of 2 each. The contractors looked like something out of a Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren movie .....Last edited by sated buddha; 16 Jan 14,, 11:42.
Comment
-
The weight/effectiveness argument has been going on since the beginning of time. Particularly in the last decade with the introduction of much heavier body armor to protect from the effects of IED/VBIED blasts. Most soldiers prefer mobility over protection because we see mobility as a form of protection. Still, on a long patrol away from immediate supply the soldier has to live out of their rucksack. A lot of thought is put into what a soldier must carry because ounces become pounds over time and pounds become "discarded" lol. Between rations, water, and ammo you're carrying about 40lbs off the bat. That's not including extra mortar rounds, extra machine gun ammo for the machine gunners, claymores, plastic explosives, wet weather/cold weather gear, fart sack, extra radio batteries, first aid equipment, etc etc...it adds up quickly.
The fact is, most soldiers do just end up plodding along until something happens. Occasionally we'll snap out of it for a moment and think to ourselves "shit, you gotta pay attention or you're going to get yourself killed." and then we'll be alert for about 10 minutes. Then the weight of the straps digging into our shoulders begins to lull us into a mind numbing experience of just putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to lose track of the guy in front of you without falling out...You grit your teethe and curse under your breath and wonder why the hell anyone would volunteer for this drudgery...and then you just keep going counting down the minutes to when you can take a short halt and get this damned pack off your back for even just a minute before you pass out from exertion. There have been times that I just wanted the enemy to shoot at me so I can drop the ruck and have something else to focus on. Pretty terrible I know, but it does happen.
Comment
-
-
Originally posted by sated buddha View PostSo I'm guessing that since I don't think our equipment is superior (and hence lighter) than what the western soldiers carry, including body armor, there must be a lot which our soldiers either do not get or do not carry? Because there is a huge difference between 20 kilos and 50-80 kilos. I still cannot understand how any man can carry that much and still be an effective fighting unit.
Last night I was watching U.S.C. (Ultimate Soldier Challenge) on Discovery - between the private military Contractors, the 82nd Airborne, and the Israeli Defence Forces. Teams of 2 each. The contractors looked like something out of a Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren movie .....
Cheers!...on the rocks!!
Comment
-
Originally posted by Dreadnought View PostUmmm and that would beeeee?;)
If I drop down below this I look skinny and anorexic imo. At this weight I have curves and a nice bumper.sigpic
Comment
Comment