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Fort Riley Kansas: 'Big Red One headed to Iraq'

Spike

Spike

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About 500 soldiers from Fort Riley, Kan., will deploy to the Middle East in late October to support the mission to “degrade and destroy” Islamic State militants, the Department of Defense announced Thursday.

About 200 of the soldiers from Fort Riley’s 1st Infantry Division, the “Big Red One,” will deploy directly to Baghdad and Irbil in Iraq. The rest will be stationed in the region and deployed to Iraq over time.

The Defense Department said the soldiers are preparing for a one-year mission.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article2248892.html

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Remember the good old days when things like this required Congressional approval.
 
You knew this was coming. Cannot win a war on air power alone.
 
"degrade and destroy"


is that the same as "search and destroy" like in the Nam?
 
I think that's like putting boots on the ground.
 
NO NO NO... these are "advisors". Kennedy would be proud.
 
Spike said:
"degrade and destroy"


is that the same as "search and destroy" like in the Nam?
Click to expand...

I knew a former Green Beret who served on a "search and destroy" team in Vietnam. He later became a sports announcer, then a radio broadcaster.

Amazing guy, with some pretty unbelievable stories about what he did in Vietnam. He was usually either with 1 other guy, or no more than 2, to avoid detection. The search and destroy teams moved at night, were always fully camouflaged, followed as Rule #1, "Never be seen."

His very small contingent would find NVA or Viet Cong ammunition depots, and blow them up; would plant a row of camouflaged claymores along a trial discovered and used by the NVA or VC, wait for the enemy to get on the trail in numbers, and detonate the claymores; plant bombs on VC vehicles, set to detonate 3 minutes after a motion sensor was activated.

He said that the search and destroy teams mauled the enemy. Here is his Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Avey
 
Rod Farva said:
US forces in general "mauled the enemy" in 'Nam. We all know who was responsible for this one going down as a loss.
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Good point.

The Tet offensive? The United States Army obliterated the VC. The NVA used the VC ground troops for the assault, and estimates are that by the end of the 2-week battle, the VC had sustained between 30,000 and 50,000 deaths and more than 100,000 casualties.

The Tet offensive marked the end of any organized and large-scale military action by the VC. From then on, the VC were consigned to small guerilla actions.

However, the publicity was devastating to the U.S. The United States embassy being overrun, the VC getting as far south as Saigon ... did not make the American people feel the war was going well, particularly the way the media reported it.

Thank God those media were not present at Pearl Harbor, or the Philippines, or Normandy. They would have run screaming for the hills, announcing the US' defeat.
 
Steeltime said:
I knew a former Green Beret who served on a "search and destroy" team in Vietnam. He later became a sports announcer, then a radio broadcaster.

Amazing guy, with some pretty unbelievable stories about what he did in Vietnam. He was usually either with 1 other guy, or no more than 2, to avoid detection. The search and destroy teams moved at night, were always fully camouflaged, followed as Rule #1, "Never be seen."

His very small contingent would find NVA or Viet Cong ammunition depots, and blow them up; would plant a row of camouflaged claymores along a trial discovered and used by the NVA or VC, wait for the enemy to get on the trail in numbers, and detonate the claymores; plant bombs on VC vehicles, set to detonate 3 minutes after a motion sensor was activated.

He said that the search and destroy teams mauled the enemy. Here is his Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Avey
Click to expand...

My uncle did many of the same things. He told us all kinds of stories. He hated the LBJ administration and McNamara in particular. He said a soldier never wants to half *** a war. They'd send him into **** holes to take a hill. Then a week later they'd pull them off and having them do something else. Then they'd have to take the exact same hill again a few weeks later. He hated it. He was a bit messed in the head so he was over there for several tours. I think he after awhile he enjoyed killing. He found one of his guys mutilated and from that point he just wanted to kill everyone of them. I'm sure he didn't tell us everything that went on. But the stuff he did tell would chill your bones. When he came back his home town had a parade for him and he received the Navy Cross and the Silver Star. He also had several purple hearts. He was a great Marine.

BTW a great site to see all the names of the Navy Cross is here: http://www.homeofheroes.com/members/02_NX/indexes/ncross_rvn_list.html

My Uncle is William H. Young (USMC)
 
Vader said:
My uncle did many of the same things. He told us all kinds of stories. He hated the LBJ administration and McNamara in particular. He said a soldier never wants to half *** a war. They'd send him into **** holes to take a hill. Then a week later they'd pull them off and having them do something else. Then they'd have to take the exact same hill again a few weeks later. He hated it. He was a bit messed in the head so he was over there for several tours. I think he after awhile he enjoyed killing. He found one of his guys mutilated and from that point he just wanted to kill everyone of them. I'm sure he didn't tell us everything that went on. But the stuff he did tell would chill your bones. When he came back his home town had a parade for him and he received the Navy Cross and the Silver Star. He also had several purple hearts. He was a great Marine.

BTW a great site to see all the names of the Navy Cross is here: http://www.homeofheroes.com/members/02_NX/indexes/ncross_rvn_list.html

My Uncle is William H. Young (USMC)
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Navy Cross - that is remarkable. I believe that for members of the Navy, only the Medal of Honor is a higher distinction.
 
Steeltime said:
Navy Cross - that is remarkable. I believe that for members of the Navy, only the Medal of Honor is a higher distinction.
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True. Same for the Marines I think. The Marines are a component of the U.S. dept. of the Navy. My father was a Marine as well. He was in after Korea and before Vietnam, so he didn't see much action.
 
Vader said:
True. Same for the Marines I think. The Marines are a component of the U.S. dept. of the Navy. My father was a Marine as well. He was in after Korea and before Vietnam, so he didn't see much action.
Click to expand...

My pops was Navy. Turned 18 in 1946. Missed both WW II and Korea as a result of his being born in 1928, rather than 1925.
 
My grandfather was a WW II vet Army Sgt 101st Airborne . Purple Heart, Bronze Star . A natural massive 55 inch chest. Great guy. Drove a cab for many years in downtown Pittsburgh after the war.
 
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