Gates of Fire (Michael Yon's report on LTC Kurilla in Mosul) - MUST READ

Michael Yon: Online Magazine ^ | 8/25/05 | Michael Yon

[baystaterebel]

Excellent letter. It still amazes me why Yons has yet to be picked up by a major network or paper.

[PogySailor]

News the LSM will never report.

[Andrewksu]

Ping

[68skylark]

I think this is a good example of why some on the right would say "not satisfied with the war effort" when responding to a poll. If it turns out that it is the US doing the release part of catch and release, then I want a full Hochstedder to occur.

I'm not sure what you mean by "a full Hochstedder." Is that some kind of reference to the character on Hogan's Heroes? Nevertheless, I think you make a good point about the people who say they're not satisfied with the war effort.

[baystaterebel]

One more thing.

I will bet you that when Michael Yon does finally get mentioned in a MSM article it will be because he briefly picked up a weapon, to defend two soldiers I might add, not his reporting.

[r-q-tek86]

ping

[68skylark]

The picture of an American Soldier cradling a babies limp body that made the rounds in the media and on the Internet was Yon's work also.

I don't know if I'm thinking about the same photo you are -- it was from a few months ago when a car bomb went off where children were gathered to receive some candy from U.S. troops.

The picture I saw was really heartbreaking. But I didn't save a copy, and I'm not sure it was taken by Yon -- I don't see a copy of that picture at his site.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Yes it's basically a .22 that lacks the stopping power of its predecessor the M-14. Same problems exist with the 9mm Baretta and there is serious discussion in returning to the M1911 for sidearms.

The following explains the M-16 and the ballistics of the .223 round.

Eugene Stoner AR15/M16

[Choose Ye This Day]

LTC Kurilla = American Hero. (mainstream media coverage = 0)

Capt. Dave Rozelle = American Hero. (mainstream media coverage = minimal)

Lindy England = American Hosebag. (mainstream media coverage = neverending)

[Willgamer]

If there was ever an article that FReepers need to forward to local radio talk show hosts, this is it. Have any of the big guys like Rush mentioned Yon?

I take it from the story that there is an "imminent danger" exception to journalists picking up a weapon; anyone know more about this?

[Lurker]

The .223 is indeed a .22 caliber weapon. .223 refers to the diameter of the bullet which is nearly identical to the ubiquitous .22 caliber.

The difference is that a standard .22 is moving at around 1100-1200 feet per second while a .223 is moving at nearly 3 times that velocity. This results in a huge increase in energy delivered to the target.

People have been calling the .223 (or 5.56mm, its NATO designation) since its introduction back in the 1960s. Personally, I wouldn't want to get shot with either of them.

The problem is that there isn't a bullet made that 'knocks people down' with one shot unless you strike them in the brain or the spinal cord. That incorrect impression is something we can thank Hollywood for.

Bullets 'stop' people by two methods. The best is a brain or spine shot. This instantly nuetralizes enemies for obvious reasons. The second method is that bullets cause death or incapacitation by inflicting trauma which causes massive bleeding.

Even if you sever someones jugular vein or femoral artery it still takes time for the body to 'depressurize' or bleed out to the point the subject can no longer fight back. Now I'm willing to bet that the mope who took three 5.56mm rounds is now enjoying the hospitality of Satan, but he still had enough strengt to pull his trigger a few more times.

Ideally, if you're in a life threatening situation and fighting with a firearm you want to use the '2 to the chest and 1 to the head' method. But, that isn't always realistic-especially if someone is shooting back at you.

I hope that helps.

L

[Choose Ye This Day]

That help, thanks.

Do the Ak-47's that the terrorists often use have more or less impact than this .223?

[little jeremiah]

later read.

[baystaterebel]

"Major Mark Bieger found this little girl after the car bomb that attacked our guys while kids were crowding around. The soldiers here have been angry and sad for two days. They are angry because the terrorists could just as easily have waited a block or two and attacked the patrol away from the kids. Instead, the suicide bomber drove his car and hit the Stryker when about twenty children were jumping up and down and waving at the soldiers. Major Bieger, I had seen him help rescue some of our guys a week earlier during another big attack, took some of our soldiers and rushed this little girl to our hospital. He wanted her to have American surgeons and not to go to the Iraqi hospital. She didn't make it. I snapped this picture when Major Bieger ran to take her away. He kept stopping to talk with her and hug her.

The soldiers went back to that neighborhood the next day to ask what they could do. The people were very warming and welcomed us into their homes, and many kids were actually running up to say hello and to ask soldiers to shake hands.

Eventually, some insurgents must have realized we were back and started shooting at us. The American soldiers and Iraqi police started engaging the enemy and there was a running gun battle. I saw at least one IP who was shot, but he looked okay and actually smiled at me despite the big bullet hole in his leg. I smiled back.

One thing seems certain; the people in that neighborhood share our feelings about the terrorists. We are going to go back there, and if any terrorists come out, the soldiers hope to find them. Everybody is still very angry that the insurgents attacked us when the kids were around. Their day will come." Michael Yon

[Mr. Silverback]

I've fired the M-16 at exactly two range sessions, so I'm no expert, but I will say this: If a guy is still up and firing after a bullet carries away his testicle, the situation would not be different if the bullet that carried away his testicle was larger or speedier. Granted, the guy had some chest wounds, but as a poster further down says, only a spectacular head shot or a lucky high spinal cord hit will drop someone before they can squeeze off a few rounds of their own.

[Mr. Silverback]

after Prosser landed three nearly point blank shots in the man's abdomen, splattering a testicle with a fourth

Am I a bad person because this made my day?

[Mr. Silverback]

But the shots and the propane fiasco also had brought the terrorist back to life, so Prosser quickly reholstered his pistol and subdued him by smashing his face into the concrete.

Am I a bad person because this also made my day? I'm going to be in an extra good mood for two days running!

[Lurker]

Now that's a question that has started many a long argument.

The AK fires a 7.62mm diameter bullet, roughly .30 caliber. It has a 'muzzle energy' roughly equivalent to your granddads .30-30 deer rifle. It doesn't have the velocity the 5.56mm does. I think the standard velocity is something like 2500 feet per second.

Now I'm going to hazard starting one of those long arguments and say that to my mind the two cartridges are roughly equivalant out to a couple of hundred yards. Beyond that the 5.56mm seems to retain more velocity. And, the M-16 rifle is miles ahead of the AK in terms of long range accuracy.

When I qualified in the Corps we were required to be able to hit man sized targets at 600 meters. Doing that with an AK would be sheer luck.

If you want to learn more about firearms, I suggest sighing up for the bang_list. That's where FRs gun geeks (and yes, I am one) hang out.

L

[chgomac]

We need a HEREOS section with links to these stories. There was one yesterday of a US Col. who just got a very high award for leading Iraqi special forces after an attack where they lost their officers.

[Mr. Silverback]

Seconded. Michael Yon is a blogger only in the most technical sense of the word. He is in every other sense and embedded reporter. If he worked for CBS, this would be in News/activism.

I know if you give a blogger news status, you might think you're opening some floodgates or establishing a double standard. But this guy is in a class by himself, and if somebody can post two or three Rush Limbaugh transcripts a day in "news," then an embedded report from Iraq certainly belongs there.