Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Praxis from the Trainer: FNGs

Mike,

This video clip, while 'hollywood', does do several very important things:

1 - Stresses the importantance of disease avoidance through field hygiene.

2 - Stresses that when the SHTF, all sufferance for "FIF" (Fools in the Field) is over.

3 - Demonstrates maneuver warfare infiltration by a 'sapper', which, like the term, 'sniper' has been vastly overused and abused to the point of rendering it almost meaningless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yef4r_O4kHM

2 comments:

Sean said...

I avoid this movie whenever it comes on because I had to listen to so much of the same,ham-handed, I don't like white people shit while actually in Viet-Nam. There are lots better ways to get the message across than pissing people off. It ain't just Hollywood, it's rubbish. My initial greeting in the Army was by a couple of black PFCs who got their rocks off trying to terrify white men, new to the Army. It made no beneficial impression on anyone, but it did help make a few enemies. If this is supposed to be an example of teaching, it fails. The worst enemy I had in VN was not Charlie, nor the NVA. It was my own Army. At least with Chuck and his Big Brother, you knew what the score was. With our Army, you got treated like, talked to, and listened to, like you were some kind of crawling shit. Small wonder we didn't win any prizes there. New soldiers perform and become more professional when they are treated professionally, not like dirt. I trained many a man and woman in the Army, and I know what I'm talking about.

The Trainer said...

I think you miss the point of posting the clip....it's not about putting people in their places or chest thumping or even the enemy, save for what H.John Poole stresses in his work, "The Last Hundred Yards": Maneuver Warfare tactics have been used against the GI for a long, long time, and it's time we got a handle on it.

As your own experience has shown you and as you clearly pointed out, fools in the field didn't do a whole lot to win the day. It's good to know men of your experience know how to professionally and effectively train the up and comers.

The point of the clip on the portion for field field hygiene, which way too many of the 'armed citizenry' ignore when training, just as was ignored by GI's in more instances than can be counted, can mean the difference between a combat effective and a non-effective, which I'm sure you can attest to more than most.

Thank you for your service during a very rough time in our country's history.