Quote:One of the great things about social media is that it lets people with real expertise in a niche area contribute to current discussions.

Yesterday, the Taliban put the lie to Joe Biden’s empty brag that there would never be helicopters evacuating people from the roof of the Kabul embassy; see Biden Proven Wrong Again, as Helicopters Land on US Embassy Roof.

Trains and aircraft are two modes of transportation with a huge fan base, and one trepid sleuth started checking the aircraft Bureau Numbers (BuNo) used during our precipitous flight from Kabul. The BuNo is assigned when an aircraft leaves the manufacturing facility and remains with it forever. One of those was a Ch-46E operated by the US Department of State Air Wing with the registration N38TU and BuNo 154038.

Here it is.

Then, for reasons unknown to me, he turned looked at the Bu Nos of aircraft involved in Operation FREQUENT WIND. FREQUENT WIND was the operational name for the evacuation of people from the US Embassy in Saigon to Task Force 76, a Navy formation located about 17 miles off the Vietnamese coast in the South China Sea. Helicopters based with the Task Force shuttled refugees from Saigon out to US ships. There, on the deck of the Essex-class carrier USS Hancock, was a CH-46 with the BuNo of 154038.

According to registry data, 154038 was transferred from the USMC to the State Department on June 12, 2012.

I’m not sure if we want to retire this old warhorse to the Smithsonian or sink it in the Marianas trench.

Link


That's almost Twilight Zone level eerie. The historical parallels were enough without literally having the same equipment.

Just another lie from Biden*. Clear evidence Embassy staff was in fact rescued from the U.S. Embassy roof in Kabul. Biden* is a complete disaster in general but particularly in foreign affairs. He's about 0 for 1483.

His decision to just pull out of Kabul - while leaving military equipment for the Taliban - will result in people dying at the hands of the Taliban....including the trapped U.S. citizens.

Biden* Explains Reality to his Caregiver

YOU DA MAYNE, BIDEN*!

If one good thing can come from this it's that republicans are finally admitting that Vietnam was a disaster.

(08-19-2021 10:06 AM)Danforth Wrote:  If one good thing can come from this it's that republicans are finally admitting that Vietnam was a disaster.

Republicans admitting?

Vietnam was the democrats' war, for the much greater part. JFK and LBJ.

They don't teach history anymore

(08-19-2021 10:06 AM)Danforth Wrote:  If one good thing can come from this it's that some Trump-haters are finally admitting that Joe Biden is a disaster.

Can’t argue with you, there.

(08-19-2021 11:54 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(08-19-2021 10:06 AM)Danforth Wrote:  If one good thing can come from this it's that republicans are finally admitting that Vietnam was a disaster.

Republicans admitting?

Vietnam was the democrats' war, for the much greater part. JFK and LBJ.

Shh.. don't confuse the liberal mind with facts Owl. Their heads might explode when the truth hits.

But I still am of the argument (which has been made before in some other sources) that after the Tet Offensive, the Vietnamese had nothing left to fight with, but by that point it was too late, as the public opinion was too far into pulling US troops out of the country.

(08-19-2021 11:54 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(08-19-2021 10:06 AM)Danforth Wrote:  If one good thing can come from this it's that republicans are finally admitting that Vietnam was a disaster.

Republicans admitting?

Vietnam was the democrats' war, for the much greater part. JFK and LBJ.

I never said it was the republicans war.

Then what exactly were you saying?

Be specific.

(08-20-2021 01:01 PM)Danforth Wrote:  

(08-19-2021 11:54 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(08-19-2021 10:06 AM)Danforth Wrote:  If one good thing can come from this it's that republicans are finally admitting that Vietnam was a disaster.

Republicans admitting?

Vietnam was the democrats' war, for the much greater part. JFK and LBJ.

I never said it was the republicans war.

That's exactly what you implied Dan, and you full well know it. Which means Dan's learning the "I never said that" defense from Tom.

(08-20-2021 02:14 PM)DaSaintFan Wrote:  

(08-20-2021 01:01 PM)Danforth Wrote:  

(08-19-2021 11:54 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(08-19-2021 10:06 AM)Danforth Wrote:  If one good thing can come from this it's that republicans are finally admitting that Vietnam was a disaster.

Republicans admitting?

Vietnam was the democrats' war, for the much greater part. JFK and LBJ.

I never said it was the republicans war.

That's exactly what you implied Dan, and you full well know it. Which means Dan's learning the "I never said that" defense from Tom.

Yes it can certainly be read that way, but it can also be read the way Dan is saying he intended it to be read.

Commie scum taking up for commie scum.

And just like clockwork a republican calls anyone who thinks we lost Vietnam a commie.

Of course we lost in Vietnam commie

We lost in Vietnam for the same reason we lost in Afghanistan. We don't know how to do counterinsurgency (COIN). Westmoreland, with way too much meddling from Washington, tried to fight Vietnam like we fought WWII--territory and body counts--and that doesn't work. We did virtually the same in Afghanistan.

Here's what I would do.

1) Army, you've got the big overland continental wars. Russia invades western Europe, that's your show. You're going to convert a lot of active slots to reserves, dropping active headcount from about 500,000 to about 400,000, and increasing reserve headcount from about 500,000 to about 800,000.

2) Marines, you're going to be the special forces--amphibious (including riverine), commando, COIN, anti-terror. You're going to take over SOCOM and you're going to figure out how to do all those things. Army keeps 10,000 Green Berets, Navy keeps 10,000 SEALs, Air Force keeps 10,000 AFSOC, as supplemental commands to SOCOM, as their specialties are needed. Go talk to your Royal Marines buddies, who are about 50 years ahead of you down this path, pick their brains, and then figure it out like you figured out island-hopping before WWII. You're going to get smaller and more focused, dropping from 180-200,000 active to 120-140,000, with an offsetting increase in reserves. You're not going to be "the Navy's army with an Air Force." You're going to give up air superiority to the Navy, and what air you retain will focus on personnel insertion/retrieval and close air support (CAS). Figuring out CAS will be another of your tasks. You get in, get done, and get out. You don't occupy territory--that's an Army mission. When things get to that point, you turn it over.

It's going to be two different organizations with two different force and command structures. Army will be a standing army model, Marines will be a commando/guerrilla model. That's kind of how they fight best anyway--Army in large formations and Marines in small groups.