[jonascord]

One other thing that everyone seems to miss. Every war has it's learning curve. The people who are in command at the start of a war are seldom the ones in at the end. The USMC was still teaching troops to charge into an ambush in '70, and were still using LAAW rockets, although only one in three would actually fire...

There are tricks of the trade that will keep you alive. The problem is that each of these tricks and bits of knowledge comes at the cost of the lives of your buddies. The ones that worked in I Corps back in '69 won't work in Kandahar 30 years later. Some times they live, most times they don't.

The people on the ground now are at the start of theat learning curve.

One other thing. The trooper who is not frightened the first time they hear that 'WHACK' sound when a bullet goes by is a sociopath.

[Prodigal Son]

One other thing. The trooper who is not frightened the first time they hear that 'WHACK' sound when a bullet goes by is a sociopath.

Agree 110%. Fear is a useful thing actually. Especially if it gets your ass that extra millimeter closer to the ground that's required.