US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html

Calif Bill wrote:
US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html

Thats one zero that knows not to write up his men on a AR-15.

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:11:47 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html

Looks like they're still using the '06 Springfields - or replicas.
Not bad, but I'd like to see them do a little marching.
A few left and right obliques, and a counter-march or two.
Then maybe some time in the scullery, just to keep them sharp.

--Vic

"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:11:47 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html

Looks like they're still using the '06 Springfields - or replicas.
Not bad, but I'd like to see them do a little marching.
A few left and right obliques, and a counter-march or two.
Then maybe some time in the scullery, just to keep them sharp.

--Vic

Funny now, but not when it happened. Well, was still sort of funny then.
Basic training at Lackland AFB, and I am a squad leader. So I am at the
front, early on a Saturday morning. Cold, brain and body go to sleep while
marching. Am sleepwalking. I guess the TI called a right oblique, but
Calif Bill was about 150 yards from the formation when they got him woke up
and stopped. Still going in a straight line. Even Sgt. Boisell had to sort
of laugh at the situation. figured if not the squad leader, ody may have
followed guy in front.

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:25:01 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:11:47 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html

Pfffhhhtt.....

Marine Corps Silent Drill Team is better.

Squids....

The Army's Old Guard puts them all to shame.

Vic Smith wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:11:47 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html

Looks like they're still using the '06 Springfields - or replicas.
Not bad, but I'd like to see them do a little marching.
A few left and right obliques, and a counter-march or two.
Then maybe some time in the scullery, just to keep them sharp.

--Vic

Actually that's the '03 Springfield. It's the favorite of honor guards,
drill teams, etc. because of its full-length stock/handguard and its
balance. I have an '03-A3, and it shoots as good as it looks.

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
. ..

I appreciate the skill. It's certainly nothing I could do. But I don't
understand why soldiers are engaged in those kinds of activities when we
are short of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Good grief Harry. We have about 140,000 military personnel in Iraq out of
over 2 million total in all the armed forces.

Sailors are not "soldiers", are not trained as soldiers (other than very
basic weapon skills) and are normally not part of a ground based, armed,
fighting force. There are some exceptions, but in general it's a fact.
About a year ago the Navy sought regular service volunteers to attend some
advanced training in weapons and other specific skills to serve as part of
the military capability in Iraq. They got more volunteers than they needed.

Eisboch

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
. ..
On 11/21/2006 8:30 AM, Eisboch wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
. ..
I appreciate the skill. It's certainly nothing I could do. But I don't
understand why soldiers are engaged in those kinds of activities when we
are short of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Good grief Harry. We have about 140,000 military personnel in Iraq out
of over 2 million total in all the armed forces.

Sailors are not "soldiers", are not trained as soldiers (other than very
basic weapon skills) and are normally not part of a ground based, armed,
fighting force. There are some exceptions, but in general it's a fact.
About a year ago the Navy sought regular service volunteers to attend
some advanced training in weapons and other specific skills to serve as
part of the military capability in Iraq. They got more volunteers than
they needed.

Eisboch


I don't mean those sailors specifically. I mean, members of the armed
forces. But if sailors are not soldiers, then why do they have a
small-arms drill team.

Tradition. Every branch of the service has one.


You raise an interesting point. If we have 2 million in uniform, why is
the military rotating the same troops and guard units back to Iraq over
and over? Why do we have 2 million in the military? If a majority of them
are not "fighting" soldiers, sailors, marines and airforce, maybe most of
those non-fighting billets should be handled by civilians.

I didn't say they were not "fighting" members of the military. I said that
the Navy is not typically trained for ground force fighting like the Army or
Marines. But, they manage and maintain a major defense capability of the
US.

It takes about 4500-5000 Navy personnel to man a single aircraft carrier.
Smaller ships have crews of a couple of hundred to over a thousand. The
Navy also has air squadrons, pilots, maintentence staff, etc. plus numerous
shore based facilities for communications and other purposes. You couldn't
possibly train civilians to handle those tasks in any practical sense.
Most would quit after a week.

Eisboch

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
. ..
On 11/21/2006 8:50 AM, Eisboch wrote:
The
Navy also has air squadrons, pilots, maintentence staff, etc. plus
numerous shore based facilities for communications and other purposes.
You couldn't possibly train civilians to handle those tasks in any
practical sense.
Most would quit after a week.

Eisboch


Why is that? Bad management, poor working conditions?

I can't speak to the other services, but I know the Navy invests a
tremendous amount of money in the technical training of most of it's service
members which is why a contract commitment is required. I know you will
laugh ... but the military management capability is one of the most
efficient I've ever seen. But they have the advantage of enforcing
discipline to the job at hand and don't focus on worrying about offending
someone's precious sensitivities or personal likes or dislikes.

Working conditions can range from excellent to very arduous. Normally,
personnel are rotated to different duty stations to even out the good and
bad.

Eisboch

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
. ..
On 11/21/2006 7:58 AM, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 07:32:33 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

On 11/21/2006 7:21 AM, JohnH wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:25:01 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:11:47 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html
Pfffhhhtt.....

Marine Corps Silent Drill Team is better.

Squids....
The Army's Old Guard puts them all to shame.
I don't understand the purpose of these displays. Are they part of
recruitment programs?

It's a demonstration of martial skill with a weapon. It takes a lot
of discipline, control, timing to handle weapons like that. It's like
a karate kata display only with heavy wooden rifles instead of
nun-chuka, swords, knifes, those tuning fork thingies, smashing blocks
with you're forehead - you know. :)

As to recruiting, eh - maybe it's a benefit to the recruiting process,
but not by much.

Of course if Charlie Rangel has his way, all those poor, uneducated,
under represented social classes currently in the military will be
enhanced by the draft which will force rich/middle class, educated,
over represented social classes into the military thus ending the need
for drill team displays if only because we all know that the
rich/middle class, educated and over represented social classes would
just end up throwing the rifles at each other instead of to each
other.


I appreciate the skill. It's certainly nothing I could do. But I don't
understand why soldiers are engaged in those kinds of activities when we
are short of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Maybe the skill is handy for big funerals. Analogy: Hidden among the
population like terrorist cells are legions of bagpipe players. They come
out of the woodwork for police funerals in some cities. I have no idea why.
My best theory is that having to listen to bagpipe music should make other
cops do a better job of looking out for their partners.