Lock and load now! David Hackworth blasts brass for not trusting, training troops

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Tuesday, October 16, 2001 | Col. David Hackworth

[JohnHuang2]

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Lock and load now!

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© 2001 David H. Hackworth

Shooting first and straight while on a battlefield or a security detail is a matter of life or death. That's why weapons training normally gets the highest priority in the U.S. military.

If you're slow on the draw, you're dead, and your side loses.

Just ask the Marine guard in Lebanon in 1983 who didn't shoot fast enough when a kamikaze driver rammed his terror truck through the gate. It took the leatherneck one full second to chamber a round, another second to flip his weapon off safety and fire. By that time, the truck had smacked into the Marine billet he was securing and exploded. The Rules of Engagement forbade this expert rifleman from being locked and loaded even though his unit was on high alert for just such an attack. And those two seconds he lost arming his weapon cost 241 American lives.

Lesson learned: An unloaded weapon is useless. A lesson we've unfortunately learned and re-learned the hard way – over and over again.

Recently, the Navy dedicated a memorial to the sailors who were aboard the USS Cole when it was savaged last year by a terrorist attack in the port of Aden. But even though the members of the security detail on the Cole were at their posts on high alert – in an extremely dangerous port where they'd already been warned that a terrorist attack was highly probable – not one of their weapons had a round in the chamber. The security detail gave the small craft that almost sank the Cole and killed 17 sailors a big, friendly American wave – and the terrorists waved back – just before they rammed their human torpedo into the ship. Again, the Rules of Engagement stated no weapons would have a round in the chamber.

Not having a magazine in a weapon, even for a crackerjack marksman, adds at least two more seconds before he or she can get off a round. Four seconds is more than enough time to drive a 10,000-gallon gas tanker into a nuclear reactor, a high school, a chemical plant or some other tempting target.

Yet today, at virtually every U.S. military installation around the globe – and now at most of our airports, which are secured by the Army National Guard – the guys and gals manning the security details at exterior gates and other critical or sensitive areas, including ammo dumps and armories, are as impotent as the Marines were in Lebanon or the sailors in Yemen. They don't have a round in the chamber and, in most cases, they don't even have a magazine in their weapons. Yet America is at war, and we know that thousands of fanatics are out there ready to strike.

When I was a 15-year-old soldier in Italy right after World War II, I "walked my post in a military manner" with a loaded M-1 rifle. My sergeant, captain, colonel and general trusted me, along with thousands of other young soldiers, not to shoot myself or anyone else who didn't deserve shooting.

But somewhere along the way, that trust disappeared. In today's military, a leader makes one mistake and he or she is toast. So the brass do the big CYA thing to ensure that they don't get burned. As a result, uniformed MBA-types have made micromanagement a General Order. In a military where a soldier gets busted for drunken driving and his captain is threatened with relief, imagine what an accidental rifle discharge would bring.

Last week, in Germany, where some guards were ordered to tape their rifles' magazine wells for safety, four-star Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs actually charged his colonels with checking on the guards and reporting back to him. A job the corporal of the guard used to do when careers weren't at stake.

The other key factor in the mix is that the troops – less the Marine Corps and special units such as the Rangers – haven't been getting the training time they need on the firing range to be fully competent with their individual weapons. Even though there are millions of bucks for higher headquarters' simulation war-game playing for military planners and the brass, nowhere near enough money has been allocated for putting holes in targets.

Will it take another USS Cole disaster before we allow the troops to lock and load?

For Education And Discussion Only. Not For Commercial Use.

[Cogadh na Sith]

Chookter will now confess to an article 15 offense.

While standing guard duty outside my Nasty Guard armory off a major thoroughfare in a skeevy part of town on 14 Sep, our ROE was such that we had to obtain loaded magazines from the SGT of the guard back INSIDE the armory if anything happened.

Our weapons were, of course, unloaded and we had no rounds or magazines on our persons--except for Chookter.

The heck with terrorists, I was concerned that some local 'gangsta' type would do a drive-by on me to try and get an M-16. I was a big stupid target out there.

Fortunately, very early in my military career I had a run-in with a mountain lion while I was carrying a rubber M-16. I swore that I would never be left helpless again in a dangerous situation due to 'Army Regs'. The best I could do was to carry my own personal loaded M-16 mag in my thigh pocket. I would've been busted hard if I had been caught...

[yarddog]

I once read a good account of Sgt. York's experiences. One thing which caught my attention was that he was carrying a .45 auto which he was not authorized to carry. (This gun was instrumental in his success)

When they made the movie, they purposely had him pick up a German Luger because they knew some soldiers would know he was not authorized to carry the .45 and would think the movie inaccurate.

[Don Joe]

"I had to purchase my own handgun 92sf Beretta and an armalite ar just so I could improve my qualifying score for promotion. We only shoot once a year for qualification and never practice during the year to improve skills. The stated reason is usually lack of funding."

Yet, irony of ironies, there doesn't seem to be any shortage of funding to demill stockpiled weapons.

The clinton "legacy" is apparently like the energizer bunny.

[tberry]

"along the way, that trust disappeared"

Military are not the only ones that used to be trusted.

IT IS TIME FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO TRUST THE PEOPLE.

[Deadeye Division]

Hack on TV:
October 17, 2001
Rivera Live at 9pm ET

[CPT Clay]

Amen Hack

He Hits the problem straight on

[Jefferson Adams]

They don't have a round in the chamber and, in most cases, they don't even have a magazine in their weapons.

Words fail me. "Pathetic," imbecillic," and "Asinine" do come to mind, however.

[sneakypete]

While stationed in Germany (67), I had to deliver a piece of crypto equipment to a remote location.

I think this whole thing varied wildly,according to who you were,what unit you were in,and what you were doing. I am guessing the NCO's and officers from combat arms units didn't catch as much grief about this stuff back in the 60's that a PFC finance clerk guarding the empty base bowling alley might.I escorted a crypto van back from the DR,and I was damn sure armed as a lowly E-4. I was also called to the orderly room one day on Okie,handed a loaded M37 Ithaca riot gun,and told to guard a 3/4 ton truck full of prisoners from the stockade while they were on a work detail. I know for a fact that if anybody had tried to rob one of our paymasters or bust into a classified conference/briefing they had just screwed the pooch big-time. Then again,it was ususally the old WW-2 and/or Korean War vets given these jobs,and you would have to be totally out of your mind to think you were going to attack or intimidate a SF SFC,MSG,or SGM back in the 60's and not pay a price. Anybody that stupid NEEDS to be shot. None of today's "touchy-feely" PC crap for these old "brown boot army" guys.

[Terriergal]

But see, we're so brainwashed into believing guns are dangerous in and of themselves....

I went to return a .177cal airgun to Wal Mart the other night, (not powerful enough) and the CSM wouldn't even take it out of the box to make sure it was in returnable condition. "I don't touch guns" she said. Nicely brainwashed little teenage girl. Hubby and I just stood there with our eyebrows raised and biting our tongues. Next time I won't hesitate to speak. At *least* I'm going to say "well, they've succeeded in brainwashing *you* haven't they?"

[TKEman]

Please don't bring that debacle up. I just calmed down from that issue being on the news a couple of hours ago, and you bring it up again.

[sneakypete]

The person who told me this said that he did have ammo. It just wasn't issued.

Well,I really don't know what to say to that. As a former career NCO myself,I certainly wouldn't advise another NCO who was not only supposed to be protecting civilian lives and property,but was also responsible for the lives and well-being of the young soldiers under his command,to carry a loaded mag inside his shirt. It just wouldn't be ethical. It's certainly not something *I* would do.

[sneakypete]

Yup,this was what "Don't ask,don't tell" meant in the 60's.

[semaj]

"If the examples cited in the article are true, I am more than just worried."

It's true unfortunately. There are those Cpl's and Sgt's who are wise enough to give the faithful "Aye, Aye Sir!" to such stupidity and then command their troops to lock and load once the brass is out of ear shot. Been there, done that. Semper Fi!

[Terriergal]

welcome home, Arabesque and family! And say the same to your former PC friends.

My brother is also asking me about which guns to buy first. This is very surprising to me.

[M.K. Borders]

It's true my friends, every damm word of it. I was with the Army Guard for over 20 years. Active or Reserves, its all the same, the Army has been taught to be just as afraid of guns as the civilians are. Do you realize that they do not even train bayonet skills now? I think there is one basic training post that will still teach the bayonet, (Ft Knox). For years, years!, commanders were not allowed to issue the bayonet, someone might get hurt. God help us all.

Maybe we need to get into a shooting war and clean out these service school wonders and get back to real Combat Commanders.

It really dose'nt matter how well you give a 5 paragragh OP-Order, if you don't have the hair on your a$$ to close with the Enemy and Kill him!

[Terriergal]

yes. That's why we failed to take out Mullah Omar on the first night of the campaign

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You have GOT to be kidding. THAT was the ROE reason????

[Terriergal]

See my post #77 and tell me about it. I was frustrated enough to learn we missed an opportunity because of ROE, but THIS ROE is illegitimate in itself, so now I am even more ticked off.

[spectr17]

I saw a report on TV last week when the California National Guard showed up at LAX and Ontario airports, the General in charge commented the soldiers would NOT be patrolling with a round in the chamber.

This is the same thought process that allowed the same troops to be sucked into ambushes by gangs during the Rodney King riots when the gang members realized the soldiers didn't even have a magazine in their rifles. Maybe this general needs a new career or some time walking a post in a hostile area. This just boggles the mind.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Yea i also heard Hackworth two days ago on fox in the morning that its time for NATIONAL ID CARDS he may be great at defending the country but he better damn well leave my freedoms alone !...