How does being in the infantry destroy your body over time?
I had two MOS in the Marines, 0311 and 8541,Regarding 0311…InfantryChronic stuff:Feet: Always hurting and aching from ill-fitting boots and all the trekking and marching.Lower back: From heavy packs and trekkingAnkles: Lots of missteps, rolled ankles etc due to heavy pack and trekking over uneven terrain.Hearing Loss: Firing weapons, people firing weapons next to you, breaching charges going off nearby, constant vehicle noise.Hypothermia to varying degreesHeat exhaustion/stroke to varying degreesFrost Bite to varying degreesOne off Injuries:Fingers: I had 3 broken fingers and numerous jammed fingers.Nose: Broken nose due to poor fast rope landing nose hit my own kneeLip: slashed open and 13 stitches due to rifle muzzle slamming into my face on accidentRight hand: Burnt due to hot barrelBack: Lots of little burns and cuts from flying hot brass and chaffing from back after being wetConstipation: MREs.Diarrhea: Del Taco/Thai street food/Korean Street food/Tijuana everythingWeird Stuff, totally unrelated to combat:I saw:Eye: Tree branch stuck in a guys eye in the JungleFingers: Blown off due to a mistake with a breaching charge.Neck: Broken neck due to fall off a cliff because his “swiss seat” was tied wrongTeeth: Busted out front grill due to him diving into a bunker and not seeing a horizontal support beam due to smoke obscuring viewShoulder: utterly dislocated all tissue ripped due to being slammed on it, on pavement, during a “Riot-Control Drill”Head: Tooth stuck in head due to ill advised head butt to another MarineArm and Neck: Wildly swollen Arm and neck, risk of death, due to poor reaction to the celebrated Anthrax vaccine.Penis: Multiple Marines got a condition where the veins running through their poles become rock hard. Affectionately called “Tree-Root-Dick” to this day I have no idea what it was.—————————————————————————————————I’ve omitted black eyes, bloody noses, blisters, bruises, rashes, odd burning sensations and light burns because they were common.Frankly, I’m surprised there weren’t more horrific injuries on the regular. People were really lucky a lot of the time.I write more here.
What are some slang terms used among police officers?
The most derogatory terms for the bad guys and citizens who are just pains in the rectum:A.H. = Adam Henry (A-dam H-enry) If you don’t get it…..sometimes you will hear it as “Jack Hole”…..now what starts with an “A” that ends with HOLE ?RICHARD CRANIUM= What starts with a “D” and is a nickname for Richard ? What is the non-medical layman’s term for the Cranium ? Do these clues HEAD you in the right direction ?
Were US Marines tougher than elite German troops in WW2?
Let’s try to put some sanity into this…US Marine suffering from the ‘1000 yard stare’ typical of shell shockInside of the uniform of any of the forces of WWII was a human being. Elite forces on both sides were well trained by the best possible standards of the time. They were equipped with the best possible equipment of the era (at least in the beginning of their deployment).Any elite forces were hand picked, dedicated, highly motivated, and disciplined soldiers. Yet, they were human and this meant that their ‘toughness’ had natural limits. Those limits were the same on both sides as, again they were members of the same species. And no matter how hand picked, amazing, awesome and tough they were - they bled, froze, hungered, cried, begged to get out of the terrible mess they were in, suffered from PTSD (or battle fatigue as they called it back then) and, died in exactly the same way on both sides.Now there is one thing that separated the two sides. The allied forces had access to penicillin, not great penicillin, but better than nothing. Thus you could expect wounded allied soldier to recover faster and be less prone to succumbing to infection and inflammation from wounds - in that respect the US Marines were tougher…But vulnerable, normal human beings they were all… just look at these pictures.US Marine after battle somewhere in the PacificUS Marines (not dead, but sleeping where they stopped) after battle at Iwo JimaSS Men trying to cope with the reality of war between battlesWaffen SS man after battleWaffen SS men devastated from battle in Normandy 1944Waffen SS man collapsed from fatigue in a tree on the Eastern FrontExhausted Waffen SS man on the eastern frontExhausted US Marine at Peleliu
How can the President's bodyguards and Special Protection Group (SPG) in safari suits offer protection when they are not seen with any modern weapons in their hands?
SPG commandos are probably one of the best commandos and are heavily armed. The Suit they wear is used to conceal ammunition that gets flashed if there is a need. The case in point is 2001 parliament attack when SPG took over the operation of taking down the attackers, though they work very secretly but the picture here shows that they do have a weapons (right hand of the commando in suit)There was also an india today report which tried to demystify SPG protective gears, though there is no confirmation about authencity but given the profile of the people they protect, this is highly believable. Some notes on the weapons that these commandos have: A 5.56x45mm NATO caliber, Belgium-made rifle is the weapon of choice for this agency. This 3.5kg rifle fires 850 rounds per minute and has an effective range of 500m. Commandoes are also equipped with an FN Five-Seven semiautomatic pistol with an effective range to fire 5.7mm caliber bullets up to 50m which is also of Belgian make. SPG commandoes use tactical eyewear which provides them protection against splinters and a ballistic shield to prevent any distraction from foreign objects. Agency procures light weight and high grade bulletproof vests categorized as level-3 Kevlar. These specialized vests weighing over 2.2 kgs can withstand a 7.62- caliber bullet fired from 10m from an AK-47 which can be considered an impressive capability. Further special knee and elbow pads along with non-skid combat boots are part of the gear.
What is the difference between the U.S. Army Rangers and the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets)?
The US Army's 75th Ranger Regiment and the US Army Special Forces both are part of the US Army Special Operations Command. Their organizations are different, reflecting the different types of missions they are expected to execute.RangersRangers in the US Army consist of the 75th Ranger Regiment's Special Troops Battalion and First, Second and Third battalions, and the US Army Ranger School's Fourth, Fifth and Sixth battalions of personnel undergoing individual Ranger training.The 75th Ranger Regiment is organized and trained to conduct missions in unit sizes from squads to the entire regiment, as an elite light infantry fighting unit. Their missions include airborne and air assault operations, seizing key terrain such as airfields, destroying strategic facilities, and direct combat against enemy forces.Individual personnel train in specialized Ranger Assessment and Selection Programs leading to the US Army Ranger School course, successful completion of which will earn full Ranger qualification and the right to wear the Ranger tab on the uniform, whether or not they are serving in a Ranger unit.The Army Special Forces The Army Special Forces are set up to provide training in a broad range of military skills and leadership to non-US forces, although Special Forces personnel have often fought side-by-side with the troops with whom they are working. The Special Forces have five primary missions:Unconventional WarfareForeign Internal DefenseSpecial ReconnaissanceDirect ActionCounter-terrorism(The Airborne tab, shown here with the US Army Special Forces shoulder patch, is used to identify US Army units that are designated as "airborne units." This is not an individual qualification tab; Graduates of airborne training are awarded parachutist's wings.)Individual soldiers who complete the Special Forces qualification courses may wear the Special Forces tab for the remainder of their military careers, whether assigned to a Special Forces unit or not.