Article

2003-09-17 Home Front

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-09-17 1:48:02 PM|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I should point out, however, that "lost due to combat" is an old Army way of disposing of material that vanished in a variety of other manners. You might be surprised, for example, at the amount of petty cash that has been "lost due to combat".

An old vet will try to keep a personal copy of his records for this, and other such emergencies. Like fires in Army warehouses.

Given all that... the records, as pointed out, would prove nothing relevent to the incident. They were either up-to-date or not. If not, nothing proved. If so, guess what, they were all in working order (on paper).

Posted by Chuck Simmins 2003-9-17 2:05:31 PM|| [http://blog.simmins.org] 2003-9-17 2:05:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 I agree with CyberSarge. This is being pushed by someone else who is using people in pain to push an agenda. I don't know much about the administrative/supply side of things, but in 1968, in the Marines, in Viet Nam, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea where the paperwork regarding my weapon was. No conspiracy.

Posted by Sgt.DT 2003-9-17 2:19:42 PM|| 2003-9-17 2:19:42 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 Hmmmmm. Hard to think back that far, when such things were of very little importance. I was only rarely issued a weapon, and seems to me I got a card with it that I was supposed to keep up to date - when the weapon was last fired, when it was last cleaned, and any problems. Usually kept it in my ammo pouch. I wouldn't be surprised that killed/captured soldiers would either have lost those records, or had such records captured along with their weapons - and themselves.

Posted by Old Patriot 2003-9-17 2:44:31 PM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2003-9-17 2:44:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 This was a supply unit and they weren't expecting
to run into a significant body of bad guys (otherwise they would have been escorted by regular units). They were probably short of sleep, as it is usual in a sustained advance. In those conditions having the drivers sleep a bit so they don't have an accident seems more important than cleaning weapons.

Posted by JFM 2003-9-17 3:17:12 PM|| 2003-9-17 3:17:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Equipment history records go along with the equipment. On high end items, nowadays, you'd have a computerized database. In the field, I'd wager it would be on a laptop with the maintenance unit. Since this was the unit that got ambushed, I'm not suprised that records were lost.
I'm betting that the firearms records are still paper. The only entries would be for last maintenance performed, not including cleaning.

Posted by Steve 2003-9-17 3:19:40 PM|| 2003-9-17 3:19:40 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Sounds like a lot of the records are hard copy. Adding some flunkies to manage a website of personnel/maintenance records in Quatar would be doable in my book.I would audit teh records of another maintenance company leaviung the op area to see whether there is a systematic problem.

Posted by Super Hose 2003-9-17 5:47:11 PM|| 2003-9-17 5:47:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Can anyone comment on how these GI's could have kept their weapons clean driving day and night through dust storms?

Posted by Tresho 2003-9-17 11:56:34 PM|| 2003-9-17 11:56:34 PM|| Front Page Top

12:05 mojo
08:52 raptor
08:23 raptor
00:51 Anonymous
00:32 Anon1
00:31 Bomb-a-rama
23:56 Tresho
23:38 Pappy
23:38 tu3031
23:36 Pappy
23:33 Pappy
23:30 Pappy
22:10 DaveMac
22:06 Stephen
22:02 Old Patriot
21:57 Old Patriot
21:52 Dishman
21:49 Tibor
21:35 True German Ally
21:32 True German Ally
21:23 Frank G
21:02 Kathy K
20:48 Alaska Paul
20:36 Super Hose