The Evolution of Modern Warfare ...

Walking around the VBC (Victory Base Complex) is like walking into a giant room full of James Bond’s toys (you know, the scene in every Bond where ‘Q’ shows up to give James a pen that has a rocket launcher imbedded in the tip). What’s even more bizarre here is, you can see the evolution of a fighting vehicle by sitting on a street corner. My Humvee is called an M-998, some of the follow on ones are called M-1114’s and M-1151’s. You can see the similarities between the basic chassis of the vehicles, but the exterior is a completely different story. Each of the models is born out of soldiers modifying their vehicles to defeat a threat on their terms. Mostly this has to do with armor. My Hummer has basic armor on the doors, but would never survive a trip outside the wires. An 1151 has armor all over the place, specifically designed to protect the crew from insurgent bombs. The difference is astounding, but it all comes down to soldiers with ideas

The next vehicles you see are the ones that have come after the Humvee’s. Strykers, and all sorts of other vehicles that look like they come from a sci-fi movie. When you watch them drive by, you can’t help but be amazed at the time and effort involved with building these things. Then reality sets in and you realize that one insurgent with a simple explosive, used properly, can destroy these monsters of the road. There are some days when I don’t know if we’re going to win over here. It’s not that we don’t have the tools and talent (we’re loaded with that), it’s that we have a government (specifically a Congress) that believes quitting is the right approach. The lack of respect for history astounds me. We have proven, throughout history that the right approach isn’t always the easy one, and that quitting just makes the conflict worse for later generations. I keep looking at our representatives in Congress and waiting for them to show the courage that has made this country great, but all I see is greed and dishonesty. Greed to keep their jobs, and dishonesty with the American people. I truly believe that the only ones who get it are the President and his inner circle. It does give me hope that, unlike the last administration, he realizes that you cannot govern by polls. You have to do what is right, no matter what the media says, no matter what the polls say: right is right. The amazing thing is how short sighted these people (our Congressmen and the media – the left) are: they were the ones who continued the fight for equal rights when it was not popular. It was only by their courage and persistence that we all won there. I say this to you to remind you that you are in this war too. If the naysayer’s get their way, we’ll be fighting this conflict on our doorsteps in the near future. I’m sorry for the soapbox, but we pay close attention to what’s going on in the states, and it frightens us. Know that we’ll be out here doing the job, as long as they let us – it’s up to you good people to ensure that it happens. We have been the silent majority for too long, it’s time to speak. Until tomorrow.

-Grease out.