"Paul J. Adam" wrote in message
...
In message , William Black
writes
"La N" wrote in message
news:n7Vpk.7874$%b7.4500@edtnps82...
Are you suggesting that Americans bomb weddings because they don't like
weddings? What are they getting out of bombing weddings besides bad p.r.?

I'm saying they bomb weddings because they refuse to take note of the
culture of the people on their side that they're killing.

The locals fire small-arms into the air at some celebrations. This is hardly
a shocking surprise. Deal with it.

This ought to be a compulsory part of RSOI, along with a proper threat brief
about what does and does not kill aircraft in theatre. (Spray-and-pray small
arms fire hasn't clocked up many kills anywhere, even for fast jets flying
low enough for it to reach)


The USAF has earned itself a reputation, though. I recall one 2005 incident
where a company of infantry - over a hundred troops, a dozen big armoured
vehicles and more soft-skinned transport, lots of kit and signature - came
under fire from an AC-130 which claimed that (a) the range should have been
cleared for it so the infantry shouldn't have been there and (b) after
meticulous examination it didn't see _anyone_ on the ground so thought it
could fire freely.

(a) is a procedural or administrative problem. (b) says that the vaunted
sensors either weren't all that or actually weren't checked. (Strangely, the
recordings from the AC-130 were irretrievably mislaid before the inquiry)

The whole Tarnak Farm affair back in '02 is similar. The Pats filed the
appropriate plan announcing that they were training, and the f***ers drafting
the ASOI never passed it on. **** me! Staff wienies killed soldiers through
negligence.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)