Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Bark louder, little dog.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Come on, man.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Everybody saw this coming.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Military / It Was Twenty Years Ago Today

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today

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The 20th Anniversary of what 11th Cav guys call the “Doha Dash”:

Long story short, the 11th ACR was in Camp Doha, near Kuwait City, and we would take turns doing rotations outside the perimeter, guarding the compound, and doing maintenance on vehicles (the sand killed M1’s), and while my unit was in our down phase before going on guard rotation, 2nd squadron had an incident in the makeshift motor pool. By incident, I mean they put the halon bottles in one of the ammo bearing vehicles for the howitzers on mechanical safe, an electrical fire started, ammo cooked off, the vehicle exploded, which caused a chain reaction explosion, wiping out numerous vehicles (more than were lost in the war), cooking off the ammo dump, and basically littering the entire compound with FASCAM, DPICM, WP, and pieces parts of multi-ton vehicles. I woke up when the first explosion went off, and seconds later the receiver base of a .50 cal came through the roof from a 1/2 mile away and landed feet from me.

The “Dash” portion of the name is obvious. We ran like hell, because there is nothing you can do when an ammo dump is blowing up and mines and parts of tanks are landing around you but GTFO. Oh- and the second squadron vehicles were all fully uploaded with DU rounds, and they were cooking off, creating an NBC situation. I’ll never forget Cpl. Dingle sprinting through the desert in his underwear carrying one of those super thin 2″ mattresses they gave us for our bunk over his head for “protection.” I have no idea why, but the only things I grabbed were my rifle and my toothbrush before I ran like hell. Fresh breath is a priority, I guess. Good times.

Wish I were still that skinny. You can read about the entire debacle here. I’ve long suspected that Col. Bacevich (you know him as A. James Bacevich), the regimental CO, lost his star because of that accident, even though it was not his fault at all. He just happened to be the RCO when the folks in 2nd Squadron screwed up.

Reader Interactions

85Comments

  1. 1.

    JGabriel

    John Cole:

    I’ve long suspected that Col. Bacevich (you know him as A. James Bacevich)…

    Doesn’t he usually publish under the byline of Andrew J. Bacevich? That’s what name I see used for him most commonly, anyway.

    Edited To Add: Glad you got through that incident uninjured (apparently). It sounds both terrifying and kind of over-the-top ridiculous.

    .

  2. 2.

    Martin

    Military jargon is little better to understand than Klingon. An NBC situation? Hmm, interesting! A little petroleum jelly should clear that right up.

    How did I never pick up that you deployed to Iraq? Stationed in Germany, I heard. I guess I need to pay closer attention.

  7. 7.

    jl

    Glad Cole made it out OK.

    Can Cole remember if there was a mascot that looked like Rosie around camp? Might want to see if the ancestral tree heads in that direction.

  8. 8.

    Trollenschlongen

    Glad you survived, Cole. Else I wouldn’t have this blog to gnaw your ankles on.

    That said:

    I’ve long suspected that Col. Bacevich (you know him as A. James Bacevich), the regimental CO, lost his star because of that accident, even though it was not his fault at all. He just happened to be the RCO when the folks in 2nd Squadron screwed up.

    Funny how low level folks are often held accountable even for events beyond their control, but a president of the united states can lie a nation into war and retire in good standing; the entire continental united states air space can go unprotected for hours on 9/11 and no one is to blame.

    What a fucked up world.

  9. 9.

    Martin

    I have no idea why, but the only things I grabbed were my rifle and my toothbrush before I ran like hell.

    Good call. 2nd amendment dental remedies are a bitch.

  12. 12.

    stuckinred

    George Patton IV was the CO of the 11 ACR when I was in Vietnam. He was in the documentary “Hearts and Minds” and caused a minor furor when he said “MY troopers are a bunch of damn fine killers”.

    Col. Bacevich has always impressed me a a soldier of the caliber of Anthony Herbert.

  13. 13.

    MikeJ

    Today is also the first anniversary of the discovery of Neptune. It was discovered one Neptunian, or 164.79 Earth years, ago today.

  14. 14.

    Sad_Dem

    Too bad some people weren’t ready with stopwatches. A few sprinting records might have been broken that day.

  17. 17.

    David Hunt

    I can’t watch the video as I’m at work, but based on what I’ve read so far, I’m glad you came out of it okay. I’m glad to read that there were no fatalities.

  18. 18.

    trollhattan

    Henceforth when I hear “Doha Round” trade will only be the second thing I think of.

    Also, too, Yikes!

  22. 22.

    Villago Delenda Est

    For you uninitiated out there, NBC = Nuclear Biological Chemical. The nasty stuff. The stuff that causes you to put on special equipment that seriously degrades your ability to get your job done.

  23. 23.

    Bobby Thomson

    Based on the information you linked to, it sounds like Bacevich was sacked because the people doing cleanup weren’t wearing protective gear despite the suspected existence of depleted uranium. That’s my take on it, anyway.

  24. 24.

    LanceThruster

    Yep. Blow’d up good, blow’d up real good!

    Don’tcha all know some of that there stuff is dangerous? My gawd, I mean…some of it can kill you…DEAD!

  25. 25.

    Trollenschlongen

    at rossindetroit 19:

    America: even our mistakes are better than yours. USA! USA!

    Oh, Ross…dear, dear Ross: Why are you such an unpatriotic hater of all that is good and exceptional about America the Awesome?

  27. 27.

    Martin

    Even Tunch would’ve high-tailed it outta there.

    Nah, Tunch would have jumped on top of it and smothered it with his overwhelming mass.

    (Need to periodically remind Cole that in spite of my general dislike for cats, Tunch is a very lovely cat – I too am a fan.)

  28. 28.

    Tsulagi

    I’ll never forget Cpl. Dingle sprinting through the desert in his underwear carrying one of those super thin 2” mattresses they gave us for our bunk over his head for “protection.”

    That’s funny. Yeah, that 2” of foam will stop a 120mm DU round.

  29. 29.

    Tim in SF

    Hey John Cole,

    GTFO is also the name of an addon you should get. It’s indispensable for raiding and comes in handy in instances and even questing.

  30. 30.

    stuckinred

    Tsulagi’

    I have a buddy that took a 7.62 in the chin in Cambodia, I saw him last week and he’s doing fine. Ya never fucking know.

  32. 32.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    My reaction to watching that video was that I was surprised some CSM didn’t chew them out for being out of uniform. That always seemed to be one of the pet peeves for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

  33. 33.

    Captain Haddock

    That is nuts. Did you know what was going on or did you think you were under attack?

  35. 35.

    Nellcote

    But were you nekkid when you were running with your rifle and toothbrush. Sounds like a backstory for the nude mopping thing.

  39. 39.

    Villago Delenda Est

    ZOMG! Boner is about to commit a “debt ceiling betrayal!”.

    Click here to find out what Ron Paul is going to do about this!

    Fuck Ron Paul, and fuck his vile spawn. Sideways. With a rusted chainsaw.

  40. 40.

    Warren Terra

    Amanda in the South Bay – July 11, 2011 | 5:13 pm · Link
    __
    My reaction to watching that video was that I was surprised some CSM didn’t chew them out for being out of uniform. That always seemed to be one of the pet peeves for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    I’m finally getting around to Netflixing Generation Kill (it’s good, as you’d expect from David Simon), and this is rather a theme.

  41. 41.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Cole, weren’t there 3 Soldiers Medals awarded to people in connection with this incident?

  43. 43.

    stuckinred

    Warren Terra

    Great show. Be good to read the two books it’s based on as well. One Bullet Away and Generation Kill. The NCO’s are way better than the dumb fuck officers.

    eta oops, didn’t know my brother Omnes Omnibus was here.

  44. 44.

    ErinSiobhan

    I’ve always loved meeting people because everyone has at least one good story to tell. You’re a lucky guy – you have at least one great story to tell.

  45. 45.

    Martin

    How close is he to the Chandrashekhar limit?

    Let’s just say there’s a reason Cole furminates regularly. He’s that close.

  46. 46.

    Warren Terra

    Villago Delenda Est – July 11, 2011 | 5:29 pm · Link
    __
    ZOMG! Boner is about to commit a “debt ceiling betrayal!”.
    __
    Click here to find out what Ron Paul is going to do about this!
    __
    Fuck Ron Paul, and fuck his vile spawn. Sideways. With a rusted chainsaw.

    There is no hyperlink, and “clicking here” does nothing. Or is that your message?

  47. 47.

    Martin

    Fuck Ron Paul, and fuck his vile spawn. Sideways. With a rusted chainsaw.

    Oh, no. We like this. A divided GOP is a losing GOP.

  48. 48.

    Martin

    Or is that your message?

    That’s the ad I’m getting constantly off of this page. Well, that and the girl with the inverted green cock.

    Reload a few times.

  51. 51.

    John

    Never saw anything like that in Viet Nam. I was in a 155 howitzer battery and we had a few powder fires. i remember a 2d lt “organizing” a response to a powder fire ’til a wp cooked off – He was last seen heading south. Showed up the next day though.

    I believe elements of the 11th ACR were attached operationally to our parent unit. I think they were more scared of our stupidity – nobody liked being next to us in the field. Or maybe it’s ’cause the loss of their 1/4 tons when they were fresh in country.

    I think War Vets make the best liberals. It sure does make you aware of the stupidity/hubris of our leaders.

  53. 53.

    burnspbesq

    OK, now I’ve never been in the military, but it seems to me that in the civilian world, we have a term that would cover compromising the fire suppression system in a vehicle carrying explosives. That term is “gross negligence.”

    Did anybody get court-martialed for this?

  54. 54.

    Southern Beale

    Unbelievable!

    Conservative states rely most on government benefits!

    The New York Times has a fascinating chart today on the share of personal income that comes from government benefits, broken down by state. The chart shows how these benefits — including those made possible by the federal stimulus bill of 2009 — became ever more crucial following the economic downturn.
    __
    […]
    Much has been written about the way that working class whites vote against their own economic self-interest. Clearly this rift remains as large as ever. Most dramatic is the case of older conservative voters who are backing the likes of Paul Ryan even as they rely on Medicare and Social Security. (Many red states have a disproportionately older population, which helps explain their heavy reliance on government benefits.)

    And for our host:

    West Virginia: 28 percent of all personal income in this state come from government programs. McCain won the state by 13 points. Both senators voted for the stimulus and one voted for UI benefits.

  59. 59.

    Dennis SGMM

    Now that it’s all in the past; Heh! Our tiny base in the Delta had a substantial swamp running along the back of it. The VC, and they were genyoowine VC, would use it to sneak up close and do mischief. Our skipper had sought authorization to defoliate the thing but the Agent Orange business had just come out (This was in 1971) and it was no go. So, one night, skipper got drunk and decided to take things into his own hands.

    His plan was simple; he commandeered a tank truck full of JP4, had it backed up to the swamp and then had them pump out its load into the swamp. He then found a rock, tied a good-sized rag around it, soaked it with the last few trickles of JP lit it and and whirled it away into the swamp. Whoomp! Up she went! The flames were fifty feet high.

    There was only one little problem: for nearly two years the ordies (Ordnancemen; we were Navy) had been tossing every belt end, loose round, cross threaded rocket warhead, damaged rocket motor and lord knows what else into that same swamp. It was spectacular. The sound of hundreds of 7.62mm and 20mm rounds cooking off provided the melody while the 2.75 (heavy) and 5 inch warheads detonating provided the bass. The occasional unplanned launch of a rocket motor added the much-enjoyed visuals.

    It rained shit for at least twenty minutes but, thankfully, no one got so much as a scratch. Everyone for miles around thought that we’d been hit, hard, and the news quickly went up the chain of command to Saigon who radioed us with offers of air strikes within five minutes. We bravely declined the offer of air support and blamed the VC.

    When the flames finally died out the vegetation in the swamp was still six feet tall and within a few months it looked the same as it did before our adventure.

  60. 60.

    Cassidy

    @ burnspbesq…. Generally speaking military equipment can just take a shit on you. You can do everything right, read the frickin’ manual to the “t” , and still something can catch fire, explode, not turn over, etc. Just the nature of the business.

  63. 63.

    stuckinred

    Dennis SGMM

    Guess Dong Tam wasn’t all that small so you had to be somewhere deeper.

  64. 64.

    Dennis SGMM

    @stuckinred

    I was at Navy Binh Thuy. We were so far out in the boondocks that we had to go twenty klicks downriver to find a whorehouse.

  65. 65.

    cbear

    Col. Bacevich is an incredibly bright military officer and one of the most honest voices we have on the debacle that is/has been our foreign policy for the last 11 years. His book, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism, should be required reading for anyone who cares about this country.

    He also lost his son in Iraq in 2007 and wrote an incredibly heartrending piece about his loss.

    I still think about that article almost everytime I hear about another young soldier killed in our many wars.

  67. 67.

    stuckinred

    We would stop at Can Tho, dropped our shit and then took the ferry back and would drive up to Sa Dec from Vihn Long. Pretty good cathouse there but them crazy fucking Seals were always rasin’ hell in there.

  68. 68.

    scav

    odd thought. What with all the hell raising that’s eternally going on, why don’t we ever see the mature crop?

  69. 69.

    Dennis SGMM

    Pretty good cathouse there but them crazy fucking Seals were always rasin’ hell in there.

    IIRC, we had Team Three stationed with us. We always used them as a standard to gauge whether we were merely crazy or fucking nuts.

  71. 71.

    Citizen_X

    More dangerous shit with weaponry, in this case due to abject stupidity: AZ State Sen. Lori Klein points a loaded pistol at a reporter. This would be her pink .380 Ruger with a laser sight (and without a safety), but “the senator assured Ruelas that he wasn’t in danger. ‘I just didn’t have my hand on the trigger,’ she said.”

    Klein told the Arizona Republic that she owns a number of guns and has had “informal” training sessions on each of them, and that she was taught gun safety by her father.

    Three guesses which party she belongs to.

  72. 72.

    celticdragonchick

    I talked to two Cav officers who saw the same event at King Fahd airport from different perspectives. It seems that some DynCorp guys were loading Hellfires on an Apache and doing the power on checks when one of the rounds prematurely fired. The Hellfire went ballistic…narrowly missing two guys doing maintenance on the rear rotor of a Chinook and then proceeded a couple of miles into the inevitable ammo dump where Murphy’s Law dictated it had to go. The guys on gate guard saw it coming and hauled ass. The ammo dump explosion was spectacular, I understand.

    Like John said: Good times.

  76. 76.

    trollhattan

    @71.Citizen_X – July 11, 2011 | 7:04 pm · Link

    More dangerous shit with weaponry, in this case due to abject stupidity: AZ State Sen. Lori Klein points a loaded pistol at a reporter. This would be her pink .380 Ruger with a laser sight (and without a safety), but “the senator assured Ruelas that he wasn’t in danger. ‘I just didn’t have my hand on the trigger,’ she said.”
    __
    Klein told the Arizona Republic that she owns a number of guns and has had “informal” training sessions on each of them, and that she was taught gun safety by her father.
    __
    Three guesses which party she belongs to.

    Ladies and germs, I give you John Kyl’s replacement.

  77. 77.

    Dennis SGMM

    @trollhattan

    …and that she was taught gun safety by her father.

    Apparently, dear old dad was so drunk/stupid/senile that he neglected the cardinal rule of gun safety; never point a loaded gun at anyone unless you are willing to kill them.

  78. 78.

    trollhattan

    @77.Dennis SGMM – July 11, 2011 | 7:40 pm · Link

    Apparently, dear old dad was so drunk/stupid/senile that he neglected the cardinal rule of gun safety; never point a loaded gun at anyone unless you are willing to kill them.

    I was thinking something similar but I guess her Hello Kitty edition gun makes it so dang cute. OTOH it might also be SOP for Republican handling of the “lamestream media” now. Beacuse as we all know have been informed, they’re the real terrorists.

  81. 81.

    honus

    “Apparently, dear old dad was so drunk/stupid/senile that he neglected the cardinal rule of gun safety; never point a loaded gun at anyone unless you are willing to kill them.”

    And the other cardinal rule, treat every gun as if it is loaded.

  83. 83.

    Phoenician in a time of Romans

    EOD POC [Explosive Ordnance Disposal Point of Contact] STATES THAT BURNING DEPLETED URANIUM PARTICLES WHEN BREATHED CAN BE HAZARDOUS. 11TH ACR HAS BEEN NOTIFIED TO TREAT THE AREA AS THOUGH IT WERE A CHEMICAL HAZARD AREA; i.e. STAY UPWIND AND WEAR PROTECTIVE MASK IN THE VICINITY.

    Gee, and yet we’re told that there is nothing harmful to civilians in dumping this stuff all over their country, and that there is no link between this and mysterious rises in birth defects and cancers…

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