"Cobra's Anger"

At first, I thought "Cobra's Anger" was a reference to my health insurance premium which is going up in January in time to thwart any cost-lowering legislation, damn their eyes, but it's the name of a new Marine op in Effedupistan.

KABUL — U.S. Marines and Afghan troops on Friday launched the first offensive since President Barack Obama announced an American troop surge, striking against Taliban communications and supply lines in a southern insurgent stronghold, a military spokesman said.

Hundreds of troops from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines and the Marine reconnaissance unit Task Force Raider were dropped by helicopter and MV-22 Osprey aircraft behind Taliban lines in the northern end of the Now Zad Valley of Helmand province, scene of heavy fighting last summer, according to Marine spokesman Maj. William Pelletier.

A U.S. military official in Washington said it was the first use of Ospreys, aircrafts that combine features of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, in an offensive involving units larger than platoons.

In my day, we came off those goddam flat-bottomed Mike boats* ready to fight. ANYTHING was better than throwing up and getting thrown up on in those bobbing little vessels of the devil. Pretty good psychology on the part of the Marine Corps, really. It worked great from Guadalcanal to Inchon and beyond. The Corps never lost a fight if it woulda meant getting back on those things. Heh.

It almost woulda been a relief if the damn things had sunk. Most of us could swim.

Things have been amped up in our fast paced modern world, but as good as they are, Marines can't fly. I can only imagine that today's young Jarheads are so thankful to get outta those Ospreys alive that they're ready to assault Hell with a bucket of water. The fuckin' Tallyban directly in front of 'em don't stand a snowball's chance. Heh.

Get some, three-four!

*Actually they were 'Papa' or 'Peter' boats due to the 'P' in LCVP. LCM's were 'Mike boats'. Too much for simple minds to remember so we called 'em all Mike boats, or maybe it was because the word 'Peter' made us giggle and the brass thought a boatload of giggling Marines wasn't quite the image they wanted in case we landed on a beach with photographers. Wasn't all that much difference between 'em anyway.