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The best thing to do when you get hit is dismount and return fire

You are a light infantryman, aren't you? From your perspective, with your experience, dismounting to fight makes perfect sense. Sounds like suicide to me, but I was a tanker. My firepower, mobility and shock are on the vehicle. If I'm afoot in an ambush, something is seriously < messed > up.

Returning fire, immediately, in huge volume, is the key. Too bad we gave all our old Quad .50's away. One advantage of tracked armored vehicles is that the tracks themselves can kill the enemy, and driving right over the ambushers is often an option.

Low intensity conflict like this is a contact sport and it's best played on foot

For cordon and search operations that's absolutely right, but much of the battlefield now consists of streets, roads and highways. How do you do convoy security dismounted?

Off topic, I need a little help from some former/current military folks. We are not a military family, due to the fact that I am one of seven girls in our family. My sister was in the Marines for 3 years in the 80's, and our father was in the Air Force in the late 40's, but until now, that's been it.

My nephew is leaving on Jan 14th for Ft Benning and basic training. My sister is having a farewell party for him and I have no idea what kind of a gift to bring for him. First of all, I don't know what kind of personal items recruits are allowed to have with them, secondly, what might he have use for during those weeks?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I would never advise a tank or a bradley crewman to dismount from their vehicle in an ambush

Nor would I advise anyone in a hummer with a mounted crew served weapon (50 Cal, MK-19) to dismount. the firepower is too valuable

It's everyone else with small arms. Vehicle mounted systems can suppress, but unless the terrain is favorable (and if the bad guys are smart they'll set up an ambush where it isn't) they don't have much of a chance of chasing down foot mobile attackers in a semi urban area

Go after them, every minute you stay in contact increases your chance of getting them.

This ins't Vietnam or the JRTC. There's no company level baited ambush waiting for you. Just at most a couple of dozen assholes running for their lives after taking what they thought was a free shot

All the best

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