Tomorrow, another day in my calendar.

[Siege]

shot 3 enemy military age males

Honest question: Is that an euphemism for unarmed men?

Well, when we breached the first floor, these 3 guys were at the base of the stair leading to the second floor. They were armed with one AK-47, smoking and bullshitting while a firefight was raging outside. Looking back, my guess would be that the one with the AK was ordered to guard the stairwell, or to keep the family that lived in the house from leaving the house. Then the other two guys, that probably lived in the house, offered him a cigarrette (a very important social act in the muslim world), and were keeping him company. But that's just my guess. I could be totally wrong. After we cleared that house we kept going, clearing the houses around it. I never came back there. I know our guys strongpointed that house, since it was the tallest in the block, and it was used as a CCP (cassualty collection point).

What it did happen, was that when we breached the first floor, I walked right into the first room, a typical arab living room, and I could see the stair and the 3 guys right pass the living room, so I and my number 2 guy opened up on the fuckers and kept going for the stairwell, instead of spreading out and clearing room by room, as per "Teh Book". 2nd squad's Bet team, that was right behind us, did the proper clearing, while I stacked my guys by the stair to proceed to clear the second floor. I got the "Foothold secured" from 2nd squad's leader, and so I went up-stairs.

[Siege]

shot 3 enemy military age males

Honest question: Is that an euphemism for unarmed men?

So basicly, yes, it is an euphenism for enemy unarmed men.

[Siege]

shot 3 enemy military age males

Honest question: Is that an euphemism for unarmed men?

I doubt that question is relevant since nowadays it is standard practice for Hezbollah (and Hamas) to pick up the guns from fallen comrades when withdrawing. That way it is possible to claim the killed militant was in fact an unarmed civilian. I suspect this behavior was already in effect back then. 

Absolutely. That was their MO back then as well.

[Alcibiades]

What it did happen, was that when we breached the first floor, I walked right into the first room, a typical arab living room, and I could see the stair and the 3 guys right pass the living room, so I and my number 2 guy opened up on the fuckers and kept going for the stairwell, instead of spreading out and clearing room by room, as per "Teh Book". 2nd squad's Bet team, that was right behind us, did the proper clearing, while I stacked my guys by the stair to proceed to clear the second floor. I got the "Foothold secured" from 2nd squad's leader, and so I went up-stairs.

That's usually how it's done even now, book or no book.   

[Siege]

I dunno how it is for you...but I seem to forget more and more of it every day...

Yeah.

I was forgetting the names of some of the guys that didn't serve with us the whole tour, so I got this notebook in which I wrote a column per squad with the position, rank and name of all the guys. I had to call my buddies to get some of the names and positions straight, and who replaced who and when.

I also wrote down the major operations with their dates. And of course the missions that went sour. I think I am never going to forget those, but as I get older, Im afraid my memory might start to fail. Back in the Golani, we have this thing we call the Land of Memories. As long as we remember, there is something that survives.

But then, eventually we will all die, and everything will be forgotten.

[Siege]

What it did happen, was that when we breached the first floor, I walked right into the first room, a typical arab living room, and I could see the stair and the 3 guys right pass the living room, so I and my number 2 guy opened up on the fuckers and kept going for the stairwell, instead of spreading out and clearing room by room, as per "Teh Book". 2nd squad's Bet team, that was right behind us, did the proper clearing, while I stacked my guys by the stair to proceed to clear the second floor. I got the "Foothold secured" from 2nd squad's leader, and so I went up-stairs.

That's usually how it's done even now, book or no book.  

Oh, I meant that we went straight for the stairwell as we engaged the guys that were there, bypassing a room and 2 side doors, and the rooms behind them, in the process. If the enemy had been waiting for us in one of those rooms...

I kind of had tunnel vission that day. The lack of experince, you know.

[Caliga]

I'm proud of you for killing Arabs like that.

[Bluebook]

Siege, have you ever considered writing down all these memories and maybe publish them? I am very convinced alot of people would want to hear your story. I know I am one of them.

At the very least, start writing down your memories, even if you never intend to have them published. I believe it would be good for you, and I believe your friends and your family would be very interested in hearing your story.

[viper37]

Question:  How common is it in Israel to use that backwards dating system of theirs?  Does everyone do it, or just religious lunatics like Siegebreaker?

Not that common according to Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar

[viper37]

Siege, have you ever considered writing down all these memories and maybe publish them? I am very convinced alot of people would want to hear your story. I know I am one of them.

At the very least, start writing down your memories, even if you never intend to have them published. I believe it would be good for you, and I believe your friends and your family would be very interested in hearing your story.

Oh, I can see the success it will have.
"Today, I entered a house and killed 3 unarmed hostiles.  That makes the total of this week at 23 so far, and there's still 2 days left.  Plenty of time to kill at least 5 more of these fuckers."
Yeah, it's gonna rock