The most recent 20 comments posted to Electrolite by jfwells:

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Posted on entry Well-chosen symbolism. ::: June 30, 2003, 07:02 PM:
I know the comments have digressed a bit, but I just found this post and wanted to mention one thing:

As a former Psy-Opper (Panama & GWI era) I can tell you that you had better have a copy of RotV on cassette if you ever want to sweet talk a helicopter pilot into doing something beyond the normal routine for you. They all like to think they are Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now. So, you play it once then get on with your surrender appeals (or whatever else the mission was). Played plenty of other music as well. Every night during the air war, we would start our harrassment/surrender appeals with Jimmi Hendrix's excellent rendition of The Star Spangled Banner.
Posted on entry Crusaders. ::: June 07, 2003, 12:26 PM:
Having been to Northern Iraq (Operation Provide Comfort) it is certainly not "Heath". It reminded me quite a bit of the Wasatch Front in Utah.

The rah-rah part of the statement (...great job we did destroying those heathen up in northern Iraq.) sounds pretty typical. The admonition against cat calls might have just been a request to keep the "Hoo-ahhs" to a bare minimum. What gets me is that he actually claimed to have "destroyed" anybody in the north. From what I can tell, there wasn't much destroying going on by anybody but the Air Force up there.

Posted on entry War, engine of social change. ::: April 02, 2003, 11:39 PM:
So Captain, that is a pretty broad statement: "Their upper body strength is about half of a man's" Every woman? I saw one on TV the other day doing a "World's Strongest Woman" competition that probably would have been able to drag your APC to safety so the 2/3 of your male soldiers could change the track. If women aren't strong enough, how do those 1/3 of men that can't perform their duty as mech infantrymen get by?

As to hygene, I wonder how our ancestors ever survived before running water. The yeast infections must have been the death of many a woman.
Posted on entry War, engine of social change. ::: April 02, 2003, 11:23 PM:
I have to disagree with Graydon here. As a former frontliner (Psyops loudspeaker operator) I jumped with a 70 lb ruck in addition to the weight of the parachute & harness. Add in the m-16, ammo & other goodies in my web gear and I was pushing 120 lbs on me. Carrying that around all day takes strength. You can't tell me it takes more to drive a truck.

I completely agree that strength is not only a male thing as I have personally known some women that could hump a ruck 20 miles without breaking a sweat. If a woman can meet all of the physical AND occupational standards of a combat MOS, great. Have at it. I think what the military fears is that they will not be able to kick women that can't cut it out of combat jobs without getting sued. Instead of holding everybody to the same high standard, they use the strength and sex/flirting/distraction excuses.

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