Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
PTSD is REAL . . .
We're talking about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder . . . and it can be DEADLY.
Fortunately, Army Reserve Staff Sergeant George Nickel survived his obvious episode of PTSD.
On February 8th, 2007, Staff Sergeant Nickel was the lone survivor from the explosion of one of the largest IEDs ever placed, outside of Karma, Iraq. The blast penetrated the armored hull and the 12 ton bomb-resistant vehicle was blown more than 10 feet in the air. Nearly every bone on the right side of his body was broken, and shrapnel from the blast tore his flesh; it was a miracle Nickel lived at all. Less than a foot away from him, the turret gunner was blown out of his hatch, dead before he hit the ground. The vehicle commander was even closer to George, and he was also killed right away. The driver lived long enough to be medevac'ed by chopper to the field hospital in Fallujah, but he died of his wounds en route.
The war doesn't end for a vet when he comes home; it's worse if you come back in pieces. Nickel was sent from Iraq to the Army Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. His destination in the States was Walter Reed - a grim place on a good day; George Nickel was lucky enough to arrive at the height of the neglect scandal.
Due to his condition, and the situation back home, George couldn't be sent home for rehabilitation therapy. Back in Idaho he was an hour from the nearest VA rehab facility, and his house in the woods was not handicap accessible. So the Army warehoused him in an old hotel near Walter Reed. The conditions in these places are deplorable. George Nickle finally arrived home to Boise on July 4th, 2008.
What happened this week: George Nickel lost his dog. For whatever reason he took along a handgun, his AR-15 rifle and was wearing a tactical vest with as many as 90 rounds of ammunition when he went to look for it. Police say Nickel shot his way into two apartments before they arrived, clearing rooms CQB-style as he searched for his pup.
He developed situational awareness fast, apparently; Nickel surrendered to police without returning a shot as four officers fired some 12 rounds in a confrontation in the stairwell of Nickel's apartment. No one was struck by any of the gunfire, thank God.
Charges:
George Nickel Jr., 38, is being held in the Ada County Jail on a $500,000 bond for four felony charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, unlawful discharge of a gun into an inhabited building, and felony use of a gun in the commission of a felony.
I'm not a lawyer or a politician, and I don't know what can be done or said on SSG Nickel's behalf, but I've seen amazing results from the Internet's ability to blast out info in all directions. Maybe somebody out there is in a better position than I am to do or say something on SSG Nickel's behalf: a preliminary hearing on the charges is scheduled for August 13th in front of 4th District Magistrate Kevin Swain.
Here's more on what happened, and the hell that SGT Nickel went through downrange.
Fortunately, Army Reserve Staff Sergeant George Nickel survived his obvious episode of PTSD.
On February 8th, 2007, Staff Sergeant Nickel was the lone survivor from the explosion of one of the largest IEDs ever placed, outside of Karma, Iraq. The blast penetrated the armored hull and the 12 ton bomb-resistant vehicle was blown more than 10 feet in the air. Nearly every bone on the right side of his body was broken, and shrapnel from the blast tore his flesh; it was a miracle Nickel lived at all. Less than a foot away from him, the turret gunner was blown out of his hatch, dead before he hit the ground. The vehicle commander was even closer to George, and he was also killed right away. The driver lived long enough to be medevac'ed by chopper to the field hospital in Fallujah, but he died of his wounds en route.
The war doesn't end for a vet when he comes home; it's worse if you come back in pieces. Nickel was sent from Iraq to the Army Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. His destination in the States was Walter Reed - a grim place on a good day; George Nickel was lucky enough to arrive at the height of the neglect scandal.
Due to his condition, and the situation back home, George couldn't be sent home for rehabilitation therapy. Back in Idaho he was an hour from the nearest VA rehab facility, and his house in the woods was not handicap accessible. So the Army warehoused him in an old hotel near Walter Reed. The conditions in these places are deplorable. George Nickle finally arrived home to Boise on July 4th, 2008.
What happened this week: George Nickel lost his dog. For whatever reason he took along a handgun, his AR-15 rifle and was wearing a tactical vest with as many as 90 rounds of ammunition when he went to look for it. Police say Nickel shot his way into two apartments before they arrived, clearing rooms CQB-style as he searched for his pup.
He developed situational awareness fast, apparently; Nickel surrendered to police without returning a shot as four officers fired some 12 rounds in a confrontation in the stairwell of Nickel's apartment. No one was struck by any of the gunfire, thank God.
Charges:
George Nickel Jr., 38, is being held in the Ada County Jail on a $500,000 bond for four felony charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, unlawful discharge of a gun into an inhabited building, and felony use of a gun in the commission of a felony.
I'm not a lawyer or a politician, and I don't know what can be done or said on SSG Nickel's behalf, but I've seen amazing results from the Internet's ability to blast out info in all directions. Maybe somebody out there is in a better position than I am to do or say something on SSG Nickel's behalf: a preliminary hearing on the charges is scheduled for August 13th in front of 4th District Magistrate Kevin Swain.
Here's more on what happened, and the hell that SGT Nickel went through downrange.
MIA's REMAINS DISCOVERED, ID'd
The Department of Defense says the remains of Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher have been found. Speicher was the first American lost in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
The remains of the first American lost in the Persian Gulf War have been found in Iraq, the military said Sunday, after struggling for nearly two decades with the question of whether he was dead or alive.
The Pentagon initially declared Speicher killed, but uncertainty — and the lack of remains — led officials over the years to change his status a number of times to "missing in action" and later "missing-captured." The family Speicher left behind continued to press for the military to do more to resolve the case.
Family spokeswoman Cindy Laquidara said relatives learned on Saturday that Speicher's remains had been found.
"The family's proud of the way the Defense Department continued on with our request, to not abandon the search," she said. "We will be bringing him home."
Read more of the saga of Scott Speicher here.
The remains of the first American lost in the Persian Gulf War have been found in Iraq, the military said Sunday, after struggling for nearly two decades with the question of whether he was dead or alive.
The Pentagon initially declared Speicher killed, but uncertainty — and the lack of remains — led officials over the years to change his status a number of times to "missing in action" and later "missing-captured." The family Speicher left behind continued to press for the military to do more to resolve the case.
Family spokeswoman Cindy Laquidara said relatives learned on Saturday that Speicher's remains had been found.
"The family's proud of the way the Defense Department continued on with our request, to not abandon the search," she said. "We will be bringing him home."
Read more of the saga of Scott Speicher here.
SITREP UPDATE
V-22 OSPREY UPDATE:
Tom - a friend of this blog - has commented at length on the performance limitations of the V-22 Osprey, and it's failure to meet contractual design specifications. His comments are correct, concise, and they are worthy. I was aware of the controversy surrounding this unusual aircraft, but not to the extent that Tom has reported. The comments he posted will be incorporated into a detailed update on the V-22.
PFC BOWE BERGDAHL UPDATE:
At the time of posting, I was aware the controversy surrounding PFC Bowe Bergdahl's situation. I felt then (and still do) that the bottom line is this: an American soldier is being held by a ruthless enemy.
There has been speculation in the media regarding the circumstances leading to his capture, from persons who should know better. Lt. Col. Ralph Peters - I'm talking to you: your comments are dangerously irresponsible at this early stage of the situation.
Heads up, Peters: you are a military man, you should know better. When being held by a ruthless enemy known for using terrorist tactics, what you say in front of a camera is not valid and will not be held against you. Under these circumstances, the United States government does not ask you to give up body parts, or your life.
Until the full facts emerge, we must do everything and anything we can to assist PFC Bergdahl's survival under the most extreme conditions. To this end, we keep must keep faith in PFC Bergdahl and the United States of America, and provide nothing his captors can use against him, or to strengthen their own cause.
Godspeed, PFC Bergdahl. We hope & pray for your safety, and that you return soon.
Tom - a friend of this blog - has commented at length on the performance limitations of the V-22 Osprey, and it's failure to meet contractual design specifications. His comments are correct, concise, and they are worthy. I was aware of the controversy surrounding this unusual aircraft, but not to the extent that Tom has reported. The comments he posted will be incorporated into a detailed update on the V-22.
PFC BOWE BERGDAHL UPDATE:
At the time of posting, I was aware the controversy surrounding PFC Bowe Bergdahl's situation. I felt then (and still do) that the bottom line is this: an American soldier is being held by a ruthless enemy.
There has been speculation in the media regarding the circumstances leading to his capture, from persons who should know better. Lt. Col. Ralph Peters - I'm talking to you: your comments are dangerously irresponsible at this early stage of the situation.
Heads up, Peters: you are a military man, you should know better. When being held by a ruthless enemy known for using terrorist tactics, what you say in front of a camera is not valid and will not be held against you. Under these circumstances, the United States government does not ask you to give up body parts, or your life.
Until the full facts emerge, we must do everything and anything we can to assist PFC Bergdahl's survival under the most extreme conditions. To this end, we keep must keep faith in PFC Bergdahl and the United States of America, and provide nothing his captors can use against him, or to strengthen their own cause.
Godspeed, PFC Bergdahl. We hope & pray for your safety, and that you return soon.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
More on Ospreys . . .
summer patriot, winter soldier is the latest member of STORMBRINGER's INNER SANCTUM. He writes:
friends:
if you are a bit of a bug on the marines, and some of the very singular aviation equipment of the marines, e.g., the harrier, the osprey, then you will really enjoy the article "v-22 osprey" at stormbringer blog.
lots & lots of very interesting articles there. a good person to have on one's 6, this sean linnane.
this is a fine blog.
john jay @ 08.01.2009
p.s. in my little corner of the world, we have a lot of the osprey, a rather small knit fish eagle. they specialize in aerial dives into the water, talons first, wings bent back at the most improbable angle, in order to penetrate the water. a "kerplunk," (nothing especially graceful about it), a little wait, and they emerge from the water in a flurry of spray and wings, and then they fly off with a fair sized fish grasped quite securely in their talons: never have seen one drop a fish. i have seen the dive sequence 5 or 6 times, successfully done.
they have a wonderful whistle, quite different than the squawk of most eagles. (the bald might have been called the raucous eagle.) they are usually seen in mating pairs, the female slightly larger. the pairs will fight for territory against other pairs, the most dominant birds soaring to quite a distance over the weaker ones, and into the sun. the lesser birds usually fly away, not wanting to be subject to those talons diving silently from above, behind, and out of the sun.
classic fight pilot stuff, that.
Sean Linnane says: I did a couple of tours in the Multinational Force & Observers, Sinai; there were a pair of these magnificent birds at Herb's Beach . . . just a grenade toss from Sharm El Sheik:
Back in the eighties the beach was run by Herb, who came on the first rotation to the Sinai in 1982 and never left. He was one of the original Special Forces. Killed captors and escaped in Korea, killed captors and escaped in Vietnam. He was my mentor. He used to show us stuff like how to press 10-penny nails into a 4X4 with the palm of his hand. They named this unique beach and the gym after him.
friends:
if you are a bit of a bug on the marines, and some of the very singular aviation equipment of the marines, e.g., the harrier, the osprey, then you will really enjoy the article "v-22 osprey" at stormbringer blog.
lots & lots of very interesting articles there. a good person to have on one's 6, this sean linnane.
this is a fine blog.
john jay @ 08.01.2009
p.s. in my little corner of the world, we have a lot of the osprey, a rather small knit fish eagle. they specialize in aerial dives into the water, talons first, wings bent back at the most improbable angle, in order to penetrate the water. a "kerplunk," (nothing especially graceful about it), a little wait, and they emerge from the water in a flurry of spray and wings, and then they fly off with a fair sized fish grasped quite securely in their talons: never have seen one drop a fish. i have seen the dive sequence 5 or 6 times, successfully done.
they have a wonderful whistle, quite different than the squawk of most eagles. (the bald might have been called the raucous eagle.) they are usually seen in mating pairs, the female slightly larger. the pairs will fight for territory against other pairs, the most dominant birds soaring to quite a distance over the weaker ones, and into the sun. the lesser birds usually fly away, not wanting to be subject to those talons diving silently from above, behind, and out of the sun.
classic fight pilot stuff, that.
Sean Linnane says: I did a couple of tours in the Multinational Force & Observers, Sinai; there were a pair of these magnificent birds at Herb's Beach . . . just a grenade toss from Sharm El Sheik:
Back in the eighties the beach was run by Herb, who came on the first rotation to the Sinai in 1982 and never left. He was one of the original Special Forces. Killed captors and escaped in Korea, killed captors and escaped in Vietnam. He was my mentor. He used to show us stuff like how to press 10-penny nails into a 4X4 with the palm of his hand. They named this unique beach and the gym after him.
V-22 OSPREY
Yesterday I watched eight of these babies land at Camp MacKall Airfield, NC - it was like a scene out of a science fiction movie.
I was aware that the idea of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft with helicopter-like rotors at the wingtips is not new, but I had no idea that the concept originated in the 1930s.
On second thought I guess this makes sense when you consider all the Buck Rogers gee-whizbang coolness they were throwing around back then . . .
The first design resembling modern tiltrotors was patented by George Lehberger in May 1930, but he did not further develop the concept. In World War II, a German prototype, called the Focke-Achgelis FA-269 was developed starting in 1942, but never flew.
The Bell XV-3 - first flown on 11 August 1955 - was a tiltrotor aircraft developed by Bell Helicopter for a joint research program between the United States Air Force and the United States Army. the XV-3 had the engines in the fuselage and drive shafts transferring power out to tilting wingtip rotor assemblies. It was fitted with ejection seats; they were never needed but would have fired downward. (YIPES ! ! ! - S.L.)
XV-15 in takeoff mode.What was to ultimately become the XV-15 originated in 1971 as a concept at NASA Ames Research Center. The first of two Bell XV-15s first flew on May 3, 1977.
Force Recon Marines conduct military freefall (HALO) ops from an Osprey.The aircraft designation "V-22 Osprey" was given on 15 January 1985. The USMC variant received the MV-22 designation and the Air Force variant received CV-22. This was reversed from normal procedure to prevent Marine Ospreys from having similar designations as aircraft carriers (CV). Full-scale development of the V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft began in 1986. The first V-22 was rolled out in May 1988. The initial operators are the United States Marine Corps and Air Force; the Army left the program citing a need to focus its budget on more immediate aviation programs.
On 17 September 2007, ten MV-22Bs of VMM-263 deployed for Iraq aboard the USS Wasp. They are primarily used in Iraq's western Anbar province for routine cargo and troop movements, and also for riskier "aero-scout" missions. The V-22 flew 3,000 sorties, racking up 5,200 hours in Iraq as of July 2008. USMC leadership expect to deploy MV-22s to Afghanistan in 2009.
OK let me kill two myths right here - the V-22 Osprey CAN fold for compact storage (for maritime operations) . . .
For compact storage and transport, the V-22's wing rotates to align, front-to-back, with the fuselage.. . . and it IS possible to fastrope the Osprey:
AFSOC Operators Fast Rope and Hoist out CV-22 Osprey, Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Operational Units:
United States Air Force
o 8th Special Operations Squadron (8 SOS) at Hurlburt Field, Florida
o 71st Special Operations Squadron (71 SOS) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico
o 20th Special Operations Squadron (20 SOS) at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico
United States Marine Corps
o VMM-162
o VMM-261
o VMM-263
o VMM-264
o VMM-266
o VMM-365
o VMMT-204 - Training squadron
o VMX-22 - Marine Tiltrotor Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron
SURVIVAL KITS
Even the smallest survival kit, if properly prepared, is invaluable when faced with a survival situation. Before preparing your survival kit, consider the environment you plan to operate in, and the equipment and vehicle(s) you will have on hand.
SURVIVAL KITS
The environment is the key to the types of items you will need in your survival kit. How much equipment you put in your kit depends on how you will carry the kit. A kit carried on your body will have to be smaller than one carried in a vehicle. Always layer your survival kit, keeping the most important items on your body. For example, your map and compass should always be on your body. Carry less important items on your pockets, or a survival vest. Place bulky items in your rucksack.
In preparing your survival kit, select items you can use for more than one purpose. If you have two items that will serve the same function, pick the one you can use for another function. Do not duplicate items, as this increases your kit's size and weight.
Your survival kit need not be elaborate. You need only functional items that will meet your needs and a case to hold the items. For the case, you might want to use a Band-Aid box, a first aid case, an ammunition pouch, or another suitable case. This case should be--
• Water repellent or waterproof.
• Easy to carry or attach to your body.
• Suitable to accept varisized components.
• Durable.
The six categories of survival to be covered by a survival kit are:
• Medical (First aid items).
• Water acquisition & purification (tablets, drops or filters).
• Fire starting.
• Signaling.
• Food procurement & preparation.
• Shelter.
Some examples of these items are--
• Lighter, metal match, waterproof matches.
• Snare wire.
• Signaling mirror.
• Wrist compass.
• Fish and snare line.
• Fishhooks.
• Candle.
• Small hand lens.
• Oxytetracycline tablets (diarrhea or infection).
• Water purification tablets.
• Solar blanket.
• Surgical blades.
• Butterfly sutures.
• Collapsible plastic containers for water storage.
• Chap Stick.
• Needle and thread.
• Knife.
Include a weapon only if the situation so dictates. Learn and practice survival techniques. Consider the environment in which you will operate. Then prepare your survival kit.
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