I got this video second hand from 2A, Rob sent it to him. I think it was made by someone in Rob’s Company last year. Rob, if you see this and have any details for me, I would love for you to leave a comment.
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Magnolia Lane Mama 
This video…makes me really unhappy.
😦
OHH!!! I want to shoot at people!! Mom, can Ihave a gun??!!
not much to say about it, aside from it is my company. put together by one of my pilots, though most of it is footage from an apache (the black and white film). its what we do, and are damn good at it. AIR ASSAULT!
Cindy, I didn’t watch the video, but Anna told me what it was. We’re really upset.
First of all, that anyone would video tape it at all and feel that it was appropriate for YouTube where anyone can see it. (Do they get a kick out of killing people???)
Second, that anyone (pos. 2A?) would send it to YOU.
Third, that you would PUT IT ON YOUR BLOG! (Are you kidding me????!!! You should have deleted it as soon as you got it!!!)
Fourth, that Rob seems proud of/excited about AIR ASSAULT!
You should be on your knees because your son wasn’t on the receiving end in this video like the other people’s sons/daughters were!
War is awful. Senseless war is worse. Glorifying it is dreadful. I have to say I’m surprised. I really didn’t think you felt this way. Be proud of Rob, but don’t be proud of what he has to do.
Heidi, you say you didn’t watch the video and Anna may not have described it in detail, so let me tell you about it.
Most of the clip consists of shots of helicopters taking off, flying around or landing, or US soldiers patrolling around. There are actually only two points where we see ammunition being expended in acts of government-sanctioned violence, at about 0:30 and 0:57 into the clip, and I assume those are the ones that offended Anna and, by extension, you.
The one at 0:57 appears to be gun camera film of a missile shot at a bunker. I’ve looked closely at the clip, zoomed in as far as I can, and I can’t see any people on the ground.
The bit of film that starts at about 0:30 is also shot from the gun camera of an American helicopter, and the sequence goes thusly:
a) we see a large antiaircraft gun on the ground, one that is quite capable of shooting down a helicopter. The filming helicopter has its gunsight locked on the gun, but does not fire.
b) the crew of the antiaircraft gun goes into action, the gun is elevated and trained, and can be seen to fire into the air (not directly at the filming helicopter, so presumably at one of the other helicopters flying with it.)
c) AFTER the antiaircraft gun fires , we see the filming helicopter fire on the antiaircraft gun.
d) the antiaircraft gun does not fire after that.
So it looks like the Iraqi gun crew had the option of abandoning their gun unfired, running away from it, and living to see another day. They just didn’t exercise it. Brave, but unwise. I don’t rejoice at what happened to them, but I can certainly understand why Rob would be glad that they didn’t get to keep shooting until they brought down a helicopter.
I am very glad that Rob has not had to fire his weapon in anger. I hope and pray that he never does. Nonetheless, I find it comforting to believe that, if things get ugly, he can shoot back effectively. I suspect he does, too.
Unfortunately, the role of the military throughout human history has been to hurt people and break things in the name of foreign policy. (The fact that our foreign policy appears to have been drafted by Zippy the Pinhead is as much your fault and mine as it is Rob’s. Whom did you vote for in 2004? I voted for Kerry, but by then it was too late.) I don’t see this video as a glorification of war. I suspect that what Rob (and Cindy) see in this video is reassurance that, if things get ugly, Rob can rely on his skills and the people around him to carry out the mission that our moronic government has thrust on him, and get home in one piece.
I don’t expect you to understand or agree. And Rob may well read this thread and conclude, with justification, that we’re both middle aged civilians without a clue. But that’s my take. Thanks for listening.
Jeff
after what dad wrote, there’s not much left for me to say. the men at that AA gun were trying their best to end the lives of those apache pilots. men who were trying THEIR best, to keep the peace in a war-torn country, so that they can go home, back to their families and friends at the end of the deployment.
we don’t ”get a kick” out of killing people, and only do it if there is no other way to avoid the harming of civilians or american forces.
I am proud to be in the only air assault battalion in my division. and in that battalion, I am in the best company. why do i say that? because we are the best at flying in there with a load of soldiers, dropping them off so they can go and collect the bad guys, and then picking everyone back up and flying to safety. all with minimum casualties on both sides. conducting an air assault is far safer and quicker then driving up in a convoy to the target, who by then would probably have moved to another location, thus making the trip pointless.
maybe now you can see why i have pride in my unit, and the men and women i fly with. we are good at what we do, which means more people can go home at night. it is a rare day when someone doesnt make it back when Bravo Company, 4/3 Aviation regiment, 3d ID is at the stick.
we are all making this country safer to live in, despite what the media says. i couldnt begin to tell anyone the satifaction i feel when we fly over a farm or small town, and everyone, old and young, men and women, are all looking up at us waving. even at 300 feet up, i can still see their smiles. you see, its not all about the killing, the explosions, the ”WMD”s that were supposedly here. we are rebuilding a country, and the people are thankful, except for a very small number, who have a slightly different agenda.
all I hope now, is that you dont see me as a war-mongerer, seeking nothing but another notch on my rifle, but as one who would love just as much as the next joe to go home in one piece, just as soon as his job here is done.
I tried not to put my two cents into this but I just can’t help it. The fact that anyone would make such an assumption about the people who are protecting our country and deeply missing their families and friends to do so is very disturbing to me. Not only was an assumption made about that video, but naive one at that. You cannot make a post regarding a loved son, brother, and boyfriend without even watching the video which your comment was based on. I am very proud of my boyfriend for putting his life on the line everyday just to protect the nation he prides himself for being a citizen of. The job he is doing over there not only protects us, but protects his fellow comrades and saves lives. Next time get the facts before you decide to add your two cents.
Wow…that’s all I can say. Wow.
Oh, and GO ARMY!
I don’t know any of you but I am proud of our military servicemen. I am glad they are trained properly and that they are team players who care for one another as best they can under the circumstances. My son is considering joining up and if he does, I will be proud of him for supporting his country and keeping us all free and safe. Thank you, Rob, and to your family for the sacrifices you make on a daily basis. And to whoever owns this blog, you know you can delete comments. 😉