THINGS I LEARNED IN THE VIETNAM WAR - Bob Griffin, Vietnam Veteran & Friend
~IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, PLEASE, FEEL FREE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !" ~War does not determine who is right, war determines who is left. ~There is nothing more satisfying that having someone take a shot at you, and miss. ~The easy way is always mined. ~Teamwork is essential; it gives the enemy other people to shoot at. ~Don't look conspicuous, it draws fire. ~Never draw fire, it irritates everyone around you. ~If you are short of everything but the enemy, you are in the combat zone. ~Incoming fire has the right of way. ~If the enemy is within range, so are you. ~The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire. ~Anything you do can get you killed, including nothing. ~Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you won't be able to get out. ~Tracers work both ways. ~Professional soldiers are predictable but the world is full of dangerous amateurs. ~ Military Intelligence is a contradiction. ~Fortify your front, you'll get your rear shot up. ~Weather ain't neutral. ~If you can't remember, the Claymore is pointed toward you. ~The Cavalry doesn't always come to the rescue. ~Napalm is an area support weapon. ~Mines are equal opportunity weapons. ~B-52s are the ultimate close support weapon. ~Sniper's motto: reach out and touch someone. ~Killing for peace is like screwing for virginity. ~The one item you need is always in short supply. ~It's not the one with your name on it; it's the one addressed "to whom it may concern" you've got to think about. ~When in doubt, empty your magazine. ~Combat will occur on the ground between two adjoining maps. ~If the Platoon Sergeant can see you, so can the enemy. ~Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can sleep. ~The most dangerous thing in the world is a Second Lieutenant with a map and a compass. ~Exceptions prove the rule, and destroy the battle plan. ~The enemy never watches until you make a mistake. ~One enemy soldier is never enough, but two is entirely too many. ~A clean (and dry) set of fatigues is a magnet for mud and rain. ~The worse the weather, the more you are required to be out in it. ~Whenever you have plenty of ammo, you never miss. Whenever you are low on ammo, you can't hit the broad side of a barn. ~Field experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. ~Those who hesitate under fire usually do not end up KIA or WIA. ~When you have sufficient supplies & ammo, the enemy takes 2 weeks to attack. When you are low on supplies & ammo the enemy decides to attack that night. ~Body count Math: 4 VC or NVA plus 2 protabables, plus 3 pigs equals 37 enemies killed in action. ~The bursting radius of a hand grenade is always one foot greater than your jumping range. ~ GUN CONTROL ~ Means hitting your target. ~Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work. ~Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive. ~Use cover or concealment as much as possible. ~Flank your adversary when possible and Protect yours. ~Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose. ~Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough. ~Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work. ~Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a "4". ~Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive. ~Use cover or concealment as much as possible. ~Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours. ~Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose. ~In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
~If you are not shooting, you should be communicating your intention to shoot. ~Curse bitterly when receiving operational order ~Do not listen to 2nd LTs; it can get you killed. ~Can cuss for a full ten minutes without ever repeating a word ~Know why there is a bayonet lug on the end of their weapon. ~Have eyes in the backs of your head. ~Can see in the dark. ~Don't give a damn about being politically correct. ~Don't know how to be politically correct. ~Love deploying to combat because there's less paperwork ~Know why you should carry two field dressings on your LBE. ~Would rather have a "mad minute" than sleeping. ~Know that the vertical buttstroke is not a sexual position. ~Really don't like taking crap from those who haven't "been there". ~Can set the headspace and timing on a "fifty" by touch alone. ~Love the smell of napalm in the morning. ~Would like to see what kind of creature "ham and chicken loaf" comes from ~Believe that killing the enemy isn't. ~Never count on the artillery in a clutch. ~Would love to go to sniper school. ~Don't blame poor marksmanship on your M16. ~Know that shitty leaders will always say they have shitty soldiers. ~Friendly fire - isn't. ~Recoilless rifles - aren't. ~Suppressive fires - won't. ~A sucking chest wound is Nature's way of telling you to slow down. ~If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid. ~Try to look unimportant; the enemy may be low on ammo and not want to waste a bullet on you. ~If at first you don't succeed, call in an air strike. ~If you are forward of your position, your artillery will fall short. ~Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself. ~Never forget that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder. ~If your attack is going really well, it's an ambush. ~The enemy diversion you're ignoring is their main attack. ~The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions; When they're ready and when you're not. ~No OPLAN ever survives initial contact. ~Five second fuses always burn three seconds. ~There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole ~A retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping. ~The important things are always simple; the simple are always hard. ~The easy way is always mined. ~If you are short of everything but the enemy, you are in the combat zone.. ~When you have secured the area, make sure the enemy knows it too. ~Incoming fire has the right of way ~No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection. ~Things which must be shipped together as a set, aren't. ~Things that must work together, can't be carried to the field that way. ~Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support. ~Anything you do can get you killed, including nothing. ~Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you won't be able to get out. ~Tracers work both ways. ~If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will get more than your fair share of objectives to take. ~Fortify your front; you'll get your rear shot up. ~Weather ain't neutral. ~If you can't remember, the Claymore is pointed toward you. ~Napalm is an area support weapon. ~Mines are equal opportunity weapons. ~The one item you need is always in short supply. ~Interchangeable parts aren't. ~When in doubt, empty your magazine. ~If the Platoon Sergeant can see you, so can the enemy. ~The enemy never watches until you make a mistake. ~The worse the weather, the more you are required to be out in it. ~The more a weapon costs, the farther you will have to send it away to be repaired. ~The complexity of a weapon is inversely proportional to the IQ of the weapon's operator. ~Field experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.. ~No matter which way you have to march, its always uphill ~Air strikes always overshoot the target, artillery always falls short. ~When reviewing the radio frequencies that you just wrote down, the most important ones are always illegible. ~The tough part about being an officer is that the troops don't know what they want, but they know for certain what they don't want. ~The weapon that usually jams when you need it the most is the M60. ~When you have sufficient supplies & ammo, the enemy takes 2 weeks to attack. When you are low on supplies & ammo the enemy decides to attack that night. ~The newest and least experienced soldier will usually win the Medal of Honor. ~A Purple Heart just proves that were you smart enough to think of a plan, stupid enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive. ~The crucial round is a dud ~There is no such place as a convenient foxhole. ~Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last and don't ever volunteer to do anything. ~If your positions are firmly set and you are prepared to take the enemy assault on, he will bypass you. ~If your ambush is properly set, the enemy won't walk into it. ~Density of fire increases proportionally to the curiousness of the target. ~Odd objects attract fire - never lurk behind one. ~There is always a way, and it usually doesn't work ~Success occurs when no one is looking, failure occurs when the General is watching. ~The enemy never monitors your radio frequency until you broadcast on an unsecured channel. ~Whenever you drop your equipment in a fire-fight, your ammo and grenades always fall the farthest away, and your canteen always lands at your feet. ~As soon as you are served hot chow in the field, it rains. ~Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do. ~Walking point = sniper bait. ~The problem with taking the easy way out is that the enemy has already mined it. ~The buddy system is essential to your survival; it gives the enemy somebody else to shoot at. ~If you really need an officer in a hurry, take a nap ~The only time suppressive fire works is when it is used on abandoned positions. ~Don't be conspicuous. In the combat zone, it draws fire. Out of the combat zone, it draws sergeants. ~Avoid loud noises, there are few silent killers in a combat zone. ~Never screw over a buddy; you'll never know when he could save your life.. ~Never expect any rations; the only rations that will be on time and won't be short is the ration of shit. ~Respect all religions in a combat zone, take no chances on where you may go if killed. ~A half filled canteens a beacon for a full loaded enemy weapon. ~When in a fire fight, kill as many as you can, the one you miss may not miss tomorrow. ~It is a physical impossibility to carry too much ammo. ~If you survive an ambush, something's wrong. ~Complain about the rations all you want, but just remember; they could very well be your last meal. ~Never underestimate the ability of the brass to foul things up. ~You have two mortal enemies in combat; the opposing side and your own rear services. ~Three things you will never see in combat; hot chow, hot showers, and an uninterrupted night's sleep. ~"Live" and "Hero" are mutually exclusive terms. ~NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition that the other guy. ~Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover for you. ~Sometimes, being good and lucky still is not enough. ~If you are wearing body armor they will probably miss that part. ~Happiness is a belt fed weapon. ~Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative... ~If you are allergic to lead it is best to avoid a war zone ~A free fire zone has nothing to do with economics. ~Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one piece at the end of the day is better. ~Being shot hurts. ~Thousands of Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. A few were even awarded. ~There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the rules. ~C-4 can make a dull day fun. ~There is no such thing as a fair fight -- only ones where you win or lose. ~If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose you don't care. ~Always make sure someone has a can opener. ~Prayer may not help . . . but it can't hurt. ~**If everyone does not come home none of the rest of us can ever fully come home either. ~Proximity factor: The need for relief is directly related to the distance of the relief station. ~Always keep one bullet in the chamber when changing your magazine. ~When you get the coveted 1,000 yard stare, don't forget about the enemy who is 30 yards away and about to pop your ass. ~Hope for the best, but prepare for the worse. ~Never be first. ~Never be last. ~Never volunteer for anything ~An escaping soldier can be used again. ~It is better to be lucky than good in the battlefield. ~If it's worth fighting for...it's worth fighting dirty for. ~If you survive the extraordinary things, it will often be the little things that will kill you. ~Give an order, then change the order, will get you disorder. ~The only thing more dangerous to you than the enemy, is your allies ~It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed. ~Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons. ~Tracers work both ways. ~Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once. ~If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up to him. ~The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire. ~If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage it has to be a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe. ~Without ammunition, the Air Force is just an expensive flying club. ~Never trade luck for skill.
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