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ORIGINAL: Termyn8or
We have SENATORS, not just congressmen, who would ask about the price of a bus ticket to Hawaii.

...

Now what the fuck do you do ?

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ORIGINAL: JohnWarren

... On tonight's news, I watched extensive coverage of an American unit in Nuristan taking heavy casualties in Afghanistan over the weekend. 

It was based in a VALLEY.  Surrounded by MOUNTAINS.  Without a secure route of withdrawal.  During the latter, critical stages of the battle the Predator over-watch was discontinued. ...

... We know a bit about how to win and a hell of a lot about how to lose in that part of the world.   Let’s use it.

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All I'm going to say here is I'm glad My boy is in the high ground and there are times February can't come soon enough.

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ORIGINAL: IrishMist

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All I'm going to say here is I'm glad My boy is in the high ground and there are times February can't come soon enough.

I hear you on that one. I have two of them out there; no idea where though. About all I do know is that they are still alive.

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ORIGINAL: JohnWarren

This is a rant.  It's not a political rant or a "why are we there/should we be there rant."  It's simply a rant of an old grunt seeing incredible stupidity.  On tonight's news, I watched extensive coverage of an American unit in Nuristan taking heavy casualties in Afghanistan over the weekend. 

It was based in a VALLEY.  Surrounded by MOUNTAINS.  Without a secure route of withdrawal.  During the latter, critical stages of the battle the Predator over-watch was discontinued.

A year ago, I visited Fort Bragg after an absence of what is approaching a half century.  I'll admit to being a bit awestruck and not a little jealous of the neat toys today's military has.  It seems a bit odd to remember field stripping my carbine or zeroing the scope on my Springfield (YES, a Springfield).  HALO in my day was a matter of a air-pressure altimeter and a wind-up stopwatch.  Looking at GPS displays and radar altimeters and tactical computers was humbling.

Now, I hear about a bunch of grunts stuck out in the middle of nowhere with what generally amounted to the gear I had at my disposal.  Now, Afghanistan isn’t my combat area of expertise, but the kind of “squish when you take a step” terrain, where I fought, favored the indigenous defender.  Deserts and mountains lack that kind of concealment and "noise."   Just look at how someone shows up against cool rock through a thermal sight! 

Still that's no excuse to put admirably equipped troops (which these didn't seem to be) in the middle of a valley.  Just looking at the computer-generated map scrolling across my TV screen, I could pick out five much more defensible positions on near-by military crests.  Even Sargon the Great built his castle in Calah on a hill (and in THAT part of the world, hills are hard to come by)

Valleys have been bad news ever since one hominid wacked another with a tree branch.  It's no coincidence that the ancient writings speak of "Valley of Death."  Hannibal barely got out of one after the Gauls gave him a nice lunch and directions and then ambushed him as he followed them.  The French thought that Dien Bien Phu was a nice camping spot and Khe Sanh went from being a hilltop surrounded by higher hills to a Marine curse word thanks to "those above my pay grade."

"Take the high ground" isn't just a neat slogan.

Worse, Afghanistan isn’t  a military unknown.   Alexander the Great didn’t make it as far as Nuristan, but there are accounts in Greek about the problems with the area and the locals.  British commanders such as General William Elphinstone and their accompanying journalists left chilling accounts of what combat in that area could be like.  Also, I can hope that while the CIA was supplying anti-Soviet forces they were also taking extensive notes on the local’s strategy and tactics as well as precisely where the Rompin’, Stompin’ Red Army went wrong.  We know a bit about how to win and a hell of a lot about how to lose in that part of the world.   Let’s use it.