The Army and Iraq

[Atlan]

Hey. I am in desperate need of some help for a fic I'm working on.

The first part- I have a character comming back from basic Army training, before he's sent off to fight, and I need to know how long it would have taken, how long he'd have between the end of training and being dispatched, and what training's like. Not too much detail, just enough for a coupple of anecdotes.

The second part I need help with is the same character, later on in the fic. I need to know what it's like as an American soldier in Iraq. I need enough to be able to write an urban warfare scene.

I dont want anyone to say anything they shouldnt, but any info would be appraciated. Even just a point in the right direction would help.

[android33s]

For Infantry basic training and advanced individual training takes 14 weeks.
How long it would take to deploy depends on which unit you are assined to and
where they are on the rotation for deployment. A unit recieves a warning order of
deployment a year out. And starts training then.

The fastest I have personnally come across for some one deploying from basic and
AIT is three weeks.

As for MOUT combat it is very fast paced and sudden. The weapon of
choice for Iraqi insurgents is I.E.D's improvised explosive devices.

they can a do look like anything from a concrete block to a soda can.
If you want more info I will be happy to help.

My time online is strange due to the time I spend in sector currenyly
I am in Iraq. In a place called Kamilyah.

[lwf58]

One of the things to keep in mind about combat, especially urban combat, is that you spend a lot of time saying, "Where are they? Where are the shots coming from?" That's because people who aren't looking for an immediate, glorious death that'll take 'em straight to the bosom of Allah hide when they are shooting at you. The ones that don't... they get their ticket to Paradise punched in short order.

Another is that the average insurgent doesn't get much of anything like basic or advanced infantry training. They go to camps to learn how to operate their weapons, and get a lot of indoctrination about what their leaders want them to think. They don't learn an awful lot about maneuver or battlefield tactics. The result is that they often fire from the hip, spraying lots of lead around and letting the odds decide whether those rounds hit anyone.

By the way, if you want to sound like you know what you're talking about, avoid the use of the word "clip". Rifles fire rounds from magazines. Clips are just a metal strip that holds a group of rounds together so that they are easier and faster to load into the magazine.

[Spokavriel]

I have an improbable situation that would more likely get the person who finds it killed rather than a positive outcome.

But to see if it is even possible would require finding out if there are bomb sniffing dogs or how likely it would be for someone to have an active other explosives detecting equipment going to find someone who is getting ready to Martyr themself.

[android33s]

There are some bomb dogs in MP units, and there are Remote Controled robots used in Route clearence. In one on one situations the most likely is if someone notices something off about the individual wired.

That is all from experince, instinct and good old luck.
The first rule in urban warefare is never ge complacent.

quick things about Military Operations Urban Terrain

When entering a building or room always clear the fatal
funnel. That is the area of a doorway as fast as possible.

Docterine is to try to clear in 4 man teams.

If you would like more info just ask.

[Sunshine Temple]

Also if you want some idea on what it's like for a soldier over there I find the stuff written by the reporters that are out among the troops are rather informative (IE. Not the ones written by the guys that just stay in the green zone)

http://michaelyon-online.com/

http://www.michaeltotten.com/

Hasn't been updated since he got home
http://thunder6.typepad.com/

[lwf58]

Another good place to go to get a good feel for what it's like is http://www.military.com.

Go to the top menu to "entertainment", and choose "shock and awe". When that pops up, click on "video gallery".

There are a great many videos from in-country there. Some of them are captured footage shot by insurgents. Two that made an impression on me were one in which an insurgent is operating a small mortar by himself with a buddy videotaping him from nearby. He probably had a dud round in which the rocket motor didn't ignite, didn't notice, and dropped another round on top of it in the tube. That was the end of his career as an infidel-killer, and probably the end of his buddy's career as a combat cameraman. It's also a graphic lesson on the importance of listening to your trainer when he/she tells you how to clear stoppages.

Another example of poorly maintained equipment in the hands of insurgents. This is a video taken during a training session with a recoilless rifle. The weapon is obviously in need of maintenance, because it ruined their whole day.

Here's some footage of the Iraqi Army with civilian volunteers taking on some insurgents down the street from them. Their tactics are very similar to that of the people they are fighting... Spray and pray.

Another was a group of insurgents who decided they'd videotape their assault on a US roadside checkpoint for posterity and bragging rights. You get to see their planning session, their psych-up session, and the assault itself. Since their "plan" was basically driving up alongside the checkpoint and firing from the back of a pickup truck and from inside a car following it, you get an excellent example of my earlier statement about the level of strategy and tactics they learn in their training camps. The last thing their camera sees is the viewpoint of the cameraman as he tries to run away when they get themselves chopped into hamburger. And then the camera falls on the ground when he doesn't make it very far. An enterprising US soldier then decides to finish their documentary for them (very kind of him, wasn't it?) by getting footage of what's left of them with their own camera. No link - I couldn't find it with a quick search. It might have been taken down as too graphic because of the ending.

[Atlan]

Wow... that is really, really helpfull. Thanks a bunch, guys.

One last question- what is the heirachy in the american rank system?

[FOG3]

If I may be so bold I would suggest you obtain the Black Hawk Down novel, the Tom Clancy non-fiction novels on various military groups, and perhaps a few choice soldier biographies.

It's all well and good to say a O-# commands such and such level group but there's more to it. Cavalry and Infantry aren't the same culture for example, and concepts like a platoon having 2 GPMGs, while a squad has one SAW per fireteam aren't exactly obvious.

Rank system for the US Army as you requested.

[lwf58]

US Army ranks?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Sta ... k_insignia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_Of ... _States%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Sta ... k_insignia

For enlisted, when you hit pay grade E-4, the rank structure branches. Specialist ranks are paid the same as command ranks (corporal, sergeant, etc.) but are not in the chain of command. They don't have command authority, except as granted to them for a specific job by someone with command authority.

Warrant officers are specialists that rate higher pay and authority than enlisted, but who are not part of the formal officer corps. Helicopter pilots, for example, are usually warrant officers in the US Army.

[Drawde]

When I was in (a few years ago), Specialist (E4 in the pay grade) was simply the step below Sergeant (E5). Sergeants are the first enlisted rank that have any sort of command responsibilities. There's a limited number of Sergeants in each MOS (Military Occupation Specialty. Basically, your job in the army), and all ranks above Sergeant are a type of Sergeant. You have to do a lot of work to qualify for Seargent. Corporals was also E4, but was basically given out to someone who couldn't yet make Sergeant due to no slots being open. This is for enlisted ranks. Officers aren't enlisted.

Warrent officers are basically an enlisted soldier who decided to take some extra schooling to become an officer. They're only specialists in that they're specialized within certain groups of MOSs. I can't remember where they fall within the officer ranks.

Notice that the ranks structure can change. I think the information lwf58 had was older info.

[lwf58]

Warrant officers are officers, not enlisted. Nor are they drawn from enlisted ranks, although it's possible for an enlisted soldier to become a warrant officer just as it's possible for an enlisted soldier to become a commissioned officer.

I quote:

In the United States military, a Warrant Officer is ranked as an officer above the senior-most enlisted ranks, as well as officer cadets and candidates, but below the grade of O-1 (NATO: OF-1). Warrant officers are highly skilled, single-track specialty officers, and while the ranks are authorized by Congress, each branch of the Uniformed Services selects, manages, and utilizes warrant officers in slightly different ways. Upon the initial appointment to Warrant Officer 1, a warrant is given by the secretary of the service, and upon promotion to Chief Warrant Officer 2, they are commissioned by the President of the United States, taking the same oath and receiving the same commission and charges as commissioned officers, thus deriving their authority from the same source.

Warrant officers can and do command detachments, units, activities, vessels, aircraft, and armored vehicles as well as lead, coach, train, and counsel subordinates. However, the Warrant Officer's primary task as a leader is to serve as a technical expert, providing valuable skills, guidance, and expertise to commanders and organizations in their particular field.

[Drawde]

The only Warrent Officer I knew, in the army, said they were enlisted first. Though I'll admit that the entire concept wasn't one of the things about the army that I understood that well.

I didn't mean to imply that a WO wasn't an officer, only that they didn't start out that way.

Thanks for the info on them. I thought they might be below an O1, but couldn't remember.

[FOG3]

The other classification if you get into the hierarchy is the MOS code, which is basically what a person does.

Given the description I'm presuming you want an Eleven-Bravo, Atlan so here's the info page of their job description. You can also pull up the other groups and their MOS on that site.

[Lioconvoy]

I was always under the impression that warrent officer had to start out as enlisted, but I'm an Airhead and we don't have WOs. We have to salute them all the same though.

One thing I can say about Iraq, is the Army enjoys having our UAV's overhead. A lot of Comanders request Predator reconosence, however unlike the new Transformers movie, they can take hours to get on site. Once on site, they can make imediate contact with the troops below.