Lethal para-bears?

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 11:38 AM Share

Stars & Stripes reports that someone wrote to the Pentagon suggesting that it parachute bears into Pakistan to track down Osama bin Laden.

It would be interesting to see, but somehow I don't think Pakistanis would appreciate it.

John Vetterli/flickr

EXPLORE:SOUTH ASIA, AL QAEDA, PAKISTAN

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HUNTER

6:28 PM ET

March 17, 2010

While that is a disturbing image

This one is worse....Warning: Some things you can't un-see.

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/03/11/confessions_of_call_bear/index.html

I had never heard of this usage of the term until I saw this article.
Having said that, it may be a VERY novel way to track down bin Laden.

Separate issue: I believe the computer game Command & Conquer: Red Alert series features parachuting Russian bears.

WALKING WOUNDED

7:08 PM ET

March 17, 2010

Maybe it's time to dust off the bat concept

Just because Project Xray didn't pan out in WW2 doesn't mean it's not worth a new look, in light of today's tech. Maybe transgenic mutant bats could home in on the smell of TNT and plastique?

After all, the bad guys and their families are hiding in caves. OK, the family part was in poor taste.

Speaking of Usama's progenic clan, I happened to see this
Bin Laden's Son Calls on Khamenei to Release Family
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=20251

TYRTAIOS

7:18 PM ET

March 17, 2010

Beneficial Suggestions

I am surprised this beneficial suggestion wasn't actually looked into by some staff officer at the Pentagon? But hey, hear are some more I've heard about that did:

- an individual wind powered soldier's fan, 1 each. If the temperature get too hot, just stand in front of some wind and the fan will start turning. No reason we can't have this item set to join the operating forces soon -

- flashlights are a necessity on today's battlefield. The current series being used consumes too many batteries thereby adding more weight to the Soldier's individual load. The newer tactical flashlight will use solar energy from the sun, but I've heard it's behind schedule due to night testing showing it to be inadequate -

- and finally, not to ignore the individual shoulder fired weapon, the rifle. Again, I have it on good authority, further testing at Aberdeen has shown if you are in a fire fight, you can quickly determine if you have a round in the chamber or not, because of the universal loud bang noise that happens when you pull the trigger. This is set to become standard doctrine in a new field manual -

Come on now, parachuting bears? The Corps had the Ontos ("the thing") in Vietnam, and now they have the Osprey - what's so far out about fighting bears from the sky, fealress bear that jump and die?

WALKING WOUNDED

7:13 AM ET

March 18, 2010

Don't knock the solar flashlight-radio combo

It's dim enough to not expose the user unduly, heavy enough to swing as a weapon, and has a crank-generator. I'm sure a bayonet could be fixed up at a handsome price, and a ballistic case as a follow-on replacement.

I'm not sure why the Bat Bomb project devolved on the Marines, according to wiki. 'Tell it to the Marines' was once a common phrase in the larger services, although it's meaning is lost to antiquity.

TYRTAIOS

12:42 PM ET

March 18, 2010

Go Tell it to the Marines

The phrase tell it to the Marines goes back to the Court of St. James where it is said a British sea captain just back from the Americas was regaling the English King and court with stories when they scoffed at is tale of flying fish off the waters of Barbados. The sea captain sticking to his story, the King turned to a Colonel of Royal Marines who confirmed the sea captain's story by saying he had seen these flying fish himself. And so the King proclaimed that since the Marines go everywhere, and see everything, that when we here of wondrous things and question them - "we will go tell it to the Marines!" :)

Silver Wings upon their chest
These are Bears, America's best

PETE

10:23 PM ET

March 17, 2010

HALO-Jumping Combat Dogs

From "The Times," London, March 17, 2010:

"Commandos from 14 countries, including British special forces and Royal Marines, took part in the Nato exercise [in Narvik, Norway]. The use of dogs in High Altitude High Opening missions was pioneered by America’s Delta Force, which trained the animals to breathe through oxygen masks during the jump.

"The SAS has adapted similar techniques and, according to special forces sources, bought a number of American-trained dogs for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. The dogs used by the British are fitted with a head camera, allowing special forces to see inside insurgent compounds, and Kevlar body armour."

To read the entire story and see a photo of a dog and his/her handler exit from an aircraft, see "The Times" website (timesonline.co.uk). It looks as though unlike human parachutists, dogs don't have to keep their feet and knees together on the way down ...

PETE

10:23 PM ET

March 17, 2010

HALO-Jumping Combat Dogs

From "The Times," London, March 17, 2010:

WALKING WOUNDED

7:21 AM ET

March 18, 2010

Still looking for HALO hounds...

But I did find:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article682807.ece
snip>
The 60th anniversary D-Day celebrations in 2004 rightly honoured the valour of human veterans. But no one mentioned Bing the alsatian. Dropped into Normandy on D-Day with the 13th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, this handsome dog landed in a tree and all night endured the terror of enemy shelling. Although badly wounded in the neck and eyes, once cut free of his parachute, Bing stood guard on a vital section of the battalion’s front, his presence a huge comfort to the troops, especially at night.

There was also Rob the “paradog”, a jaunty collie that made 20 drops and was awarded the “animal’s VC”, the Dickin Medal, for leading SAS patrols into enemy territory. I was thrilled to learn that Rob made it home after the war, settling happily into farm life.