# best part of being an army medic



## Combat_Medic (Aug 26, 2010)

I have been asked by a few people on here about joining the army.  I think I have the best job in the Army.  These are two videos of me out in the field with a mortar platoon.  It was the end of the day and I hear "Hey Doc! You want to hang some mortar round?"  Well hell yea.  These guys know I would run through the gates of hell under fire for them so they look out for me.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0-GbezpTE[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHzObheh7gg[/YOUTUBE]


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## citizensoldierny (Aug 26, 2010)

Thats no way to make thunder
My first MOS was 13B and my unit was M-198 which is 155mm towed , now that is the way to make the Thunder. All that aside cool video's though.


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## Veneficus (Aug 26, 2010)

yea, gone are the days of 16/50 naval...

(you know, real artillary  )


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## Phlipper (Aug 28, 2010)

citizensoldierny said:


> Thats no way to make thunder
> My first MOS was 13B and my unit was M-198 which is 155mm towed , now that is the way to make the Thunder. All that aside cool video's though.



I remember being at Ft Erwin back in the day playing desert rat wannabe and bounding overwatch with the M109s till they reached a point where live fire was staged.  We (Bradleys and ITVs)  were parked roughly 20 meters away and when those things lit up I thought something had exploded.  Even wearing CVCs the concussion was startling.  I'd hate to be on the receiving end. :lol:

Miss it. :sad:


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## Afflixion (Aug 29, 2010)

Its cool if you put a watermelon on the floor near the muzzle of a paladin, the watermelon explodes too the concussion is so intense


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## citizensoldierny (Aug 29, 2010)

Concussion what concussion?:wacko: Hmmm maybe thats why my hearing is more than a wee bit damaged

Though I'm sure being around helicopters was less than helpful. And yes I wore my ear pro.


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## Phlipper (Aug 31, 2010)

Ya know, I always told myself I'd never advise my own kids to serve in a combat arms branch of service and would instead push them toward a technical specialty in the Air Force or Navy, should they ever show an interest in the military.  But as I've gotten older, in addition to the pride I feel at having served, I seem to constantly reflect back on the sheer fun I had as a grunt.  My stepson (11yo) loves playing FPS games and is always asking questions about the weapons systems and tactics.  And my stepdaughter (9 yo) has a very keen interest not only in weapons and is a very good shot, but also loves to pour over pictures of combat aircraft, especially rotor wing.

In addition to defending the nation that has given us so much and in addition to defending those weaker than ourselves, where else can you go to work each day and fly a deadly beast like an AH-64 or spend a day on a MOUT site drilling live fire entries with an M4 or cream an old tank hull with a 25mm cannon from a Bradley?  They can likely get an AAS degree while serving and then finish an undergrad once they've ETS'd.  But the plain old fun and camaraderie to be had in combat arms is a rare opportunity.

Maybe I should be more worried about them getting hurt.  I dunno.


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## firetender (Aug 31, 2010)

Phlipper said:


> fly a deadly beast like an AH-64 or spend a day on a MOUT site drilling live fire entries with an M4 or cream an old tank hull with a 25mm cannon from a Bradley?
> 
> Maybe I should be more worried about them getting hurt.  I dunno.



I believe in the Warrior Class. This goes for Military, Cops, Fire and Medics. That structured mentality and dedication to thoughtless action can make the difference in preserving/saving many lives. I acknowledge its value in getting the job done.

Of course, there's always the big "Why?" and who is it that sends our children to war? Those whose lives will not be endangered.

And what you describe as war, today, is more like a video game. The stuff you want your kids to do is _*distance*_ warfare, not Grunt. _*Grunts are cannon fodder AFTER the toys are used.*_ Perhaps you could pull some strings and get them behind the lines and behind a button, but, once they are in the system, it's a crapshoot where they end up and how much danger they are in. Put them in a uniform and they become targets. That part of life is simple.

Most of the wars on the planet today are all about resources and who controls them. There are no more moral fights because underneath it all, philosophical and religious differences are co-opted to satisfy the hunger of a few up at the top. Wars are never about even distribution of resources, they are about greed to profit from meeting the needs of the populace that SERVES the interests of the people in charge.

I hope you can see I'm not pointing fingers. Just relaying what I've observed over the last 50 years about recent humanity and its relationship to war. 

The problem with toys today is not so much _*collateral damage*_, which is what we claim are "the terrible consequences of war". The truth is, such things as killing children is an acceptable "cost of doing business." The buttons pushed take out innocents, and studies are even showing the button pushers, though out of danger, carry huge psychological scars.

Wishing your kids the camaraderie of war wishes upon them exposure to much more than physical danger. It is asking them to, thirty years from now, look at what damage has come through them and to whom. These are things they'll have to look at long after you're dead. 

The walking wounded flooding our streets and ambulances from what appears to be a pretty "easy" conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan -- figure 100 of them (at least!) for one of us -- is just beginning.

I would hope that a lot more people with war experience like yourself would want their children to invest their lives in building cooperation so war becomes outmoded. Believe me, it would take about the same amount of energy.

I don't have a position about war and warriors. I have a position about greed and its aftermath. Here it is: http://www.firetender.org/Music.html


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## Phlipper (Aug 31, 2010)

We can agree to disagree.  Not a problem.   

But you obviously haven't been in the military, at least not in combat arms, and not recently.  And your politics are coloring your perception of things outside the realm of your experience.


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## firetender (Aug 31, 2010)

Phlipper said:


> And your politics are coloring your perception of things outside the realm of your experience.



This, in essence, is what causes war. Some would say that's why we're "over there". I don't deny it lives inside me. And I am in full agreement with agreeing not to agree.


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