All the fluff floating around about Viet Nam being relived in the Sandbox and of course, my dislike of the person in LA who gave me cause to light my keyboard up last night have me thinking about this...
I've got the Rules of Endangerment (Courtesy of Blackfive via Just the Average Savage - very insightful look). I also have a sample ROE from several operations condensed into one area. This I've been reading; studying, trying to understand and make sense from a civilian significant other view. I grasp the basic concept of trying to keep collateral damage to a minimum. I understand and appreciate the "courtesy" of the American Soldier (Soldier used as a generic term for Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Soldiers - but certainly not meant to imply casuality or offend any Service member from any branch) but I'm not sure I comprehend. How can we be a power Military if we do not use that power to our advantage? We have technology, intelligence, more extensively educated recruits than we did back when it was mostly hand-to-hand, close range skirmishes of young guys yanked right out of high school with no desire to further educate themselves at the time. Do we really want to be known as the "nice guys"? If our hands are so tied that we can't go in and kick some insurgency ass, are they going to know we mean business? Don't get me wrong - I support the Heroes deployed, redeployed, held over and I do it proudly. I do it with the knowledge that I have known some Heroes who've passed on and I'm sadly aware that there may be more. I want to know why we can't prevent a few more Heroes from being killed by creating a little more turmoil from reducing requirements of the ROE?
I've got the Rules of Endangerment (Courtesy of Blackfive via Just the Average Savage - very insightful look). I also have a sample ROE from several operations condensed into one area. This I've been reading; studying, trying to understand and make sense from a civilian significant other view. I grasp the basic concept of trying to keep collateral damage to a minimum. I understand and appreciate the "courtesy" of the American Soldier (Soldier used as a generic term for Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Soldiers - but certainly not meant to imply casuality or offend any Service member from any branch) but I'm not sure I comprehend. How can we be a power Military if we do not use that power to our advantage? We have technology, intelligence, more extensively educated recruits than we did back when it was mostly hand-to-hand, close range skirmishes of young guys yanked right out of high school with no desire to further educate themselves at the time. Do we really want to be known as the "nice guys"? If our hands are so tied that we can't go in and kick some insurgency ass, are they going to know we mean business? Don't get me wrong - I support the Heroes deployed, redeployed, held over and I do it proudly. I do it with the knowledge that I have known some Heroes who've passed on and I'm sadly aware that there may be more. I want to know why we can't prevent a few more Heroes from being killed by creating a little more turmoil from reducing requirements of the ROE?
I want to know what the Rules of Engagement were back when Viet Nam and WWII were going on. I'm not old enough to remember, nor was I a part of it, but I'm pretty sure there is a difference. I know there are certainly discrepancies in the stories I hear from back then to the reports I read and watch today. Has our military changed this much? Is there really that much more red tape holding our Heroes back from doing what they need to win this objective?
I've been searching, (and searching and searching!) and I'm thinking the best place to go for the information is the people who were in during those times.
I've been searching, (and searching and searching!) and I'm thinking the best place to go for the information is the people who were in during those times.
Do the ROE change with each war? Did WWII have different ones from Viet Nam different from Bosnia different from OIF/OEF? Who decides the ROE? People behind a desk, or the ones on the front lines who KNOW what's out there?
Give me reason to believe why we have this weaponry, technology and these skilled servicemembers. Help me understand the difference between then and now.
