Life, well, life is meant to be endured, not enjoyed.
Tomorrow is 5 Av, 18 years pass since one of the worst firefights I survived.
We were near Mjadel, Southern Lebanon, reacting to an artillery attack on one of our outposts, and we were clearing this stupid village. 2nd platoon, our main effort, got ambushed and were getting shot the fuck up, so I took my team around, through an alley, a shit surface sewer, between two buildings, to outflank the enemy. I was almost through, when two guys pop up in the end of the alley, 5 meters in front of me, and open up on us. I got shot in my plate and fell back on my ass, in the shit running through the canal. One of my boys behind me, got shot right under my arm. His plate didn't intercept the rounds. I opened up as I fell, and another of my boys opened up as well, but by the time we cut down the enemy, we had 2 KIAs and 2 wounded.
I got up, zombie as in a dream, and as got out of the alley another shitzbollani came up on the roof facing the alley, and fired an RPG into the damn alley. It flew right over my head, detonating on the back of our formation, killing our platoon leader and wounding our RTO. I kept going, crossed the damn street, and led what was left of my team into the house facing the alley. We cleared it, shot 3 enemy military age males in the process, but by the time we got to the roof the enemy RPG team was gone.
The firefight lasted another 2 hours. My company lost 4 KIA and 9 wounded. Three of the KIA and 2 of the wounded in my platoon. We killed 15 enemies, wounded over 20, captured some 30 plus military age males, two russian made 120mm artillery pieces, a shitload of AKs and other small arms.
The war kept going for another 9 years, until our disgraceful pull out, abandoning our allies in Southern lebanon.
In 2006, Israel had to invade again.
All for nothing.
Your life is worthless. Big surprise.
:console:
Quoteshot 3 enemy military age males
Honest question: Is that an euphemism for unarmed men?
To paraphrase Siegy in the hate crime thread:
Well, four kikes and fifteen towelheads less to worry about.
Quote from: Zanza on July 26, 2009, 03:17:05 AM
Quoteshot 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.
Quote from: Bluebook on July 26, 2009, 03:55:10 AM
Quote from: Zanza on July 26, 2009, 03:17:05 AM
Quoteshot 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.
Who the fuck are you?
I dunno how it is for you...but I seem to forget more and more of it every day...
By the way, I am sorry for your loss, Siege. It must be terrible to lose your teammates like that.
Quote from: Bluebook on July 26, 2009, 03:55:10 AMI 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.
Maybe. But Siege was there to see it, so he can tell whether they were armed or not. I just wondered because he did not write "we shot three enemies", but rather "we shot three enemy military age men". The difference in wording suggests to me that their age and not them shooting back or being armed was the criterion used to judge whether they were enemies.
Quote from: The Brain on July 26, 2009, 04:12:21 AM
Quote from: Bluebook on July 26, 2009, 03:55:10 AM
Quote from: Zanza on July 26, 2009, 03:17:05 AM
Quoteshot 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.
Who the fuck are you?
This post, combined with the post in the War in the Pacific - Admiral's Edition thread where he announces that he'll buy it on release makes me think: HORTLUND.
Quote from: Syt on July 26, 2009, 05:03:09 AM
Quote from: The Brain on July 26, 2009, 04:12:21 AM
Quote from: Bluebook on July 26, 2009, 03:55:10 AM
Quote from: Zanza on July 26, 2009, 03:17:05 AM
Quoteshot 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.
Who the fuck are you?
This post, combined with the post in the War in the Pacific - Admiral's Edition thread where he announces that he'll buy it on release makes me think: HORTLUND.
:w00t:
Horty always was a good peep. And if his presence pisses off Marti, even better.
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?
Quote from: Zanza on July 26, 2009, 04:59:22 AM
By the way, I am sorry for your loss, Siege. It must be terrible to lose your teammates like that.
As am I. :hug:
Quote from: Neil on July 26, 2009, 09:38:49 AM
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?
Jew Stardates.
Quote from: Zanza on July 26, 2009, 03:17:05 AM
Quoteshot 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.
Quote from: Zanza on July 26, 2009, 03:17:05 AM
Quoteshot 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.
Quote from: Bluebook on July 26, 2009, 03:55:10 AM
Quote from: Zanza on July 26, 2009, 03:17:05 AM
Quoteshot 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.
Quote from: Siege on July 26, 2009, 01:30:14 PM
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. :smarty:
Quote from: Alcibiades on July 26, 2009, 04:27:27 AM
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.
Quote from: Alcibiades on July 26, 2009, 01:43:16 PM
Quote from: Siege on July 26, 2009, 01:30:14 PM
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. :smarty:
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.
I'm proud of you for killing Arabs like that. :)
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.
Quote from: Neil on July 26, 2009, 09:38:49 AM
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
Quote from: Bluebook on July 27, 2009, 03:11:52 AM
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 ;)