RadioBanter - View Single Post

December 5th 05, 11:41 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.policy

wrote:
From: "K0HB" on Sun, Dec 4 2005 1:31 am

wrote

And to answer the comment of Clown Prince of Spamalot (aka KB9RGZ), many US Navy
ships are not intended to "sail into battle" (a quaint phrase, but it reveals
your ignorance of military matters). YTB's tugs don't "sail into battle",
DSRV's don't "sail into battle", AD's don't "sail into battle", AOE's don't
"sail into battle", AS's don't "sail into battle", ATB's don't "sail into
battle", ARS's don't "sail into battle", in fact CVA's don't "sail into battle",
and no, the USS Constitution will not "sail into battle", but she's still a
fully commissioned ship of the line in the US Navy.

Most civilians don't understand that every servicemember does NOT
"go into battle." Somehow they think that "battle" is like a
street gang fight between small groups. Problem is, "battle" can
catch up to everyone in the military service when no one is
expecting it. The USS Indianapolis' crew found that out late in
WW2 when it was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine.

The Indianapolis was a warship - heavy cruiser IIRC.

How many Allied merchant and cargo ships - mostly unarmed - were sunk
by
enemy action in the Battle of the North Atlantic? How many of their
crews
were lost in the service of their country?

The
Army found that out during the Battle of the Bulge...where every
soldier, regardless of MOS, were suddenly IN "battle." Ever
since the U.S. Army has made it a point to continue basic battle
training long after soldiers have finished basic training.

And your point is?

All sorts of people in all sorts of jobs face danger every day, Len.

The electric wires don't put themselves up, and when a storm knocks
out the power, the crews don't get to wait for a sunny day to fix them.

Bridges don't paint themselves, tall buildings don't put themselves up,
and oil doesn't refine itself. Somebody has to do all those hazardous
jobs.

Think about what EMTs and ER personnel face every day. They see
all kinds of sick and injured people, and have to try to help them.
Often they have no idea if the sick or injured person has a contagious
disease, mental problem, or ulterior motive (like stealing drugs). One
wrong move and they could get a fatal disease - or something even more
quickly fatal.

Jimmie Noserve and Der Klunk

Who are they?

both thought of Japan as "rear area"
in the 1950s...a place where all are "safe."

Who said that? Not me.

Japan was a lot "safer" than Korea, during that conflict. You weren't
in much danger of enemy attack then, were you?

However, the USSR
did have a combat reach into Japan and did have the special
weapon.

"Special weapon"?

How many did they have, Len? How long would it take for them to get it
to Tokyo in those years - if they had it?

The USA, USAF, and USN all knew that and tried to prepare
for it. Now, they might or might not have been Soviet "Bear"
bombers when I was in Japan...the exact type is irrelevant...

No, it's not irrelevant, Len. You just don't like having your
mistakes discovered.

You named a specific aircraft type that wasn't even deployed at
the time, and understated the distance from the USSR to Japan.
Then you got all abusive (as usual) when your mistakes were
pointed out - as if the mistakes were the fault of the person
pointing them out!

but
they did have aircraft that could reach the Kanto Plain area of
Honshu (where Tokyo is located).

*if* they could get through all the air defenses.

Jimmie wanted to make a Big
Thing about USSR aircraft so that he could make message points
and show everyone how "good" and "expert" he is.

Who are you talking about, Len? I don't even know what "message points"
are.

You tried to look like an expert and got very upset when a mere
civilian
pointed out and proved your mistakes. Yet you abused others who
actually saw and photographed Bear bombers in flight, saying they
could not have done what they did.

Jimmie might have been in a moderate danger zone in the 1960s
when, first, IRBMs were being targeted on east coast positions
from Cuba, then later, from ICBMs that were targeted all over
the USA.

There was no defense against IRBMs and ICBMs. Not even an
effective way to sound the alert. 1950s Soviet bombers would take hours
to get to Tokyo - if they could even get through the air defenses.
1960s ICBMs and IRBMs
would be at there targets in minutes. Big cities, particularly those
near the nation's capital, would be prime targets.

Hardly a "moderate danger zone".