French Paratroopers in Mali

Action footage




h/t Rex

By: Brant

Red Dawn? Or Training Exercise?

Russian troops parachuting into Colorado?!

For the first time in history, Russian and American airborne forces will hold joint drills in the US. The anti-terror exercises scheduled for May 2012 will get off to a flying start with a tactical landing operation and “terrorist” camp raid.
“This is the first time such an event is being held,” Russian Airborne Forces spokesperson Col. Aleksandr Kucherenko stressed, announcing the plan. “The Russian airborne will contribute a special task group that will exercise with US special service weapons.”
The drills were arranged by the Russian Airborne Command and a US military delegation in Moscow last December.
Russian soldiers will receive preparatory training in Colorado’s Fort Carson with the US weaponry and equipment they are to use during the operation. The drills include parachuting, operation planning, reconnaissance, assault operations and evacuations by helicopter.
“According to the exercise scenario, soldiers of the two countries will hold a tactical airborne operation, including reconnaissance of an imaginary terrorists' camp and a raid,” Colonel Kucherenko revealed.
The drills will take place between May 24 and 31. But it’s not all work: on May 27, the Russian paratroopers will get a chance to unwind at a baseball game in Colorado Springs.

By: Brant

Random Friday Wargaming: Airborne In My Pocket

Here's one for the Q&D crowd: it's Airborne In My Pocket. It's a 1-2 player print-and-play game, so give it a try yourownself before you roll it out with a friend.









Yep, it's Carc-a-war with figs!

Master links/images from Boardgamegeek.com; message boards linked to Consimworld. Other links to the actual game pages...


By: Brant

UK In Action: PARA IED Overwatch

A Soldier from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), observes from a compound roof as soldiers from the Improvised Explosive Task Force, clear the streets of ghost town Char Coucha in Afghanistan. Char Coucha which once had a thriving market and was a place of religious pilgrimage is back on the road to peace and prosperity thanks to the combined efforts of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), members of the British Counter-IED Task Force, and their colleagues from the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. The effort - codenamed Operation KAPCHA KWANDIKALAY (or Cobra Safe Village) - has seen the largest-scale, high-risk IED clearance of an entire village to be carried out by British forces in Afghanistan. More than 40 families have now returned, with more set to follow as efforts to maintain the stable security situation continue. Throughout 2010, Char Coucha was the scene of intense fighting, as British and Afghan forces battled the insurgency for control of the village. But despite the insurgent fighters remaining under pressure throughout, it became clear that the benefits of military successes were not being felt by local people. This image was a runner-up for Sgt Rupert Frere in the Army's Photographic Competition 2011.

img from UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

USAction! Ramp Exit

U.S. Navy SEALs exit a C-130 Hercules aircraft during a training exercise near Fort Pickett, Va., Dec. 8, 2011. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Michael Harding

By: Brant

Airborne & Special Ops Museum, 2 of 2

From a gallery of notable airborne personalities

Vietnam display

Panama Display

Panama Display from the rescue of Kurt Muse

Curiously enough, there's no gallery, display, or mention of Somalia or the Balkans, and only the briefest of mentions of the missions to the Philippines as a part of the wider GWOT galleries.

By: Brant

Airborne & Special Ops Museum, 1 of 2

From Fayetteville, NC... we took the Cub Scouts down there today.
As always, click to enlarge

The Main Entryway

From the North Carolina Veterans' exhibit

Looking up at the ceiling

The Pacific War gallery includes a theater

The display on the US intervention in the Dominican Republic

By: Brant

Next Afghanistan Unit ID'ed

The DoD has identified the next unit heading to Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense announced today the deployment of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, as part of an upcoming rotation of forces to Afghanistan. Numbering approximately 3,500 soldiers, the unit is scheduled for deployment in November 2011 and will replace redeploying units with no increase in overall force levels.

A rare airborne unit on the West coast, 4/25's official site lists their organization as
- 1/501st PIR
- 3/509th IN
- 1/40th CAV
- 2/377 PFAR
- 425th BSTB
- 725th BSB



By: Brant

Order Of Battle: The Queens Own Rifles of Canada

The Queens Own Rifles of Canada are a reserve unit, but the only one in Canada that's primarily an airborne unit.

The organization of the unit is:
Battalion Headquarters
- 60th Company
- Buffs Company
- Victoria Company (Logistics company)
- Regimental Band and Bugles
- 2881 Queen’s Own Rifles Cadet Corps

The website run by the regiment has a treasure trove of photos from all sorts of activities.

The early history of the regiment actually predates the formation of Canada.

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada was formed on April 26, 1860. Originally the Regiment's name was the Second Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada. The cap badge still bears the number two as recognition of the unit's seniority. In 1863 the name changed to 2nd Battalion "Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto." It was under this name that the regiment fought at the Battle of Ridgeway, during the Fenian Raids of 1866. Thereafter, the unit was called the 2nd Battalion "Queen's Own Rifles of Canada" in 1882.

When Louis Riel launched the North-West Rebellion in 1885, the "Queen's Own" fought the Cree Chief Poundmaker at the Battle of Cut Knife Hill. The Regiment's first overseas action came when the Queen's Own provided thirty-three soldiers for duty in the South African War 1899-1900. These men became part of "C" Company (representing Toronto), of the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment.

When World War I broke out in August of 1914, Canada responded by sending the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The Regiment provided the bulk of the men to the Third Battalion CEF, however, Ottawa refused to allow the battalion to wear the Queen's Own cap badge. Initially, many thought the Queen's Own would be allowed to retain its Regimental identity. Instead, small groups from the 10th Grenadiers and the Governor General's Bodyguard were posted into the already over-strength battalion, making it the Toronto regiment, a composite unit. 3Bn CEF fought in Northern France and Belgium, from Amiens to Langemark. Twenty one battle honours, were won during the war. By the war's end 7,562 Queen's Own had served overseas, of these 1,254 were killed in action, died of wounds or of other causes.

Upon returning home, the officers of the Third Battalion found they could not resolve their conflicts with the officers of the Queen's Own who had not fought in Europe. The solution came with the formation of the Toronto Regiment that was officially authorized on May 1, 1920. This was also the date of the unit's last name change. It became The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, leaving out the "Second" designation.

The Queen's Own was mobilized for the Second World War on May 24th, 1940. The Regiment's first assignment was the defence of Newfoundland and New Brunswick. Eventally, the Regiment was posted to England, in July 1941, as a part of the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Division. The Queen's Own first action, was in the leading wave of the D-Day invasion. The Regiment landed on Bernieres-sur-Mer at 08:12hrs, on the 6th of June 1944. The fighting took them through Normandy and into Northern France. The Regiment fought their way north into Belgium, freeing the crutial channel ports.

There's plenty more after this, too.


The Wikipedia page has a lot of details, as well.

By: Brant

Next Iraq Units Announced

The DoD has announced that 2/82 is headed out for the next Iraq Rotation.

The Department of Defense announced today the deployment of a unit as part of an upcoming rotation of forces supporting Operation New Dawn in Iraq. The scheduled rotation for these replacement forces will begin in late Spring 2011.

The deploying unit is 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade (AAB), 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, N.C., totaling 3,500 personnel.

As part of Operation New Dawn, the 2nd AAB will have three primary missions: advise, assist, train and equip Iraqi Security Forces; conduct partnered counter-terrorism operations; and support and protect civilian and military efforts focused on developing Iraqi civil and institutional capacity.

Image from 2/82 website...

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

US to WikiLeaks: WTF! Yes, the WikiLeaks Task Force is now in effect, yo.

Good to that US intelligence is keeping an eye on developments in London (or not...)

The Norks are vowing a "sacred war" if they are provoked by the South. Uh, OK.

China wants to speed up the launch of their aircraft carrier.

Will the Russians ratify START before the US?

A nice story about a wedding dress going on display at the Airborne & Special Ops Museum in Fayetteville, NC. Yes, a wedding dress. Go read it. (h/t Guardian)

By: Brant

Signs of Success in Eastern Afghanistan

The CG of the 101st has a positive assessment of the situation.

Maj. Gen. John Campbell said Wednesday the coalition forces he commands in eastern Afghanistan have stopped the momentum of the insurgents there.

Campbell, commander of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, briefed reporters at the Pentagon via video link from Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. He was joined by French Brig. Gen. Pierre Chavancy, who leads a French brigade under Campbell’s command.

“We believe we do have the right strategy. We have the right forces now,” Campbell said. “We have an opportunity now to truly make a difference.”

Regional Command East, which Campbell leads, includes 14 provinces and encircles Kabul, the capital city. It is the second largest regional command in the country with about 32,000 personnel.

Captured insurgents say they’ve had trouble getting materials for improvised explosive devices and morale is low, Campbell said.

“Every time they’ve tried a spectacular attack we’ve crushed them,” he said.

By: Brant

Yes, This Is A Sports Story. Read it Anyway

SI.com has an awesome article about the kids of Ft Campbell High and their football team.

Somewhere in Kuwait in late 2007, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Chris Croft handed a package to a convoy commander bound for Baghdad. Croft told the commander to deliver the package to Lt. Col. Fred Wintrich.
The phone rang at midnight Baghdad time. Wintrich answered. The convoy commander explained that he had a package to deliver before he continued his journey. Wintrich, the executive officer for the second brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, set out from Camp Victory to a refueling depot about two miles to the north. There he met the commander, who handed Wintrich a brown paper bag.
Inside were game DVDs featuring the soon-to-be Class 2A Kentucky state champion Fort Campbell High Falcons. Croft's son, C.J., was the starting quarterback. Wintrich's son, Josh McWherter, was a star linebacker. "For an hour, you get to be somewhere else besides Baghdad," Wintrich said of watching the DVDs of the Falcons' midseason surge in his tiny office after his 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. workday ended. "You get to be at Fryar Stadium. You get to be part of your kid's life."

By: Brant

Veterans Celebrate WWII Glider Forces

Sixty-six years ago, a bunch of braver-than-me guy strapped themselves into a bunch of balsa-wood air-frames and nose-dived into Nazi-occupied Europe in gliders that supported the airborne invasion of the continent.

Robert Herriot's sister Evelyn sent him a four-leaf clover while he was stationed in England during World War II.

It was in his uniform chest pocket as he sat on a bench in a plywood glider in the skies over Holland on Sept. 17, 1944, one of many sent to take the bridges and countryside from the Germans. As it was towed behind a C-47 plane, the pilot and co-pilot pulled a lever to sever the tie between the large cargo plane and the engineless glider. As the aircraft glided earthward, it almost immediately came under heavy anti-aircraft attack.

About 100 feet from the ground, the pilot and co-pilot slumped over dead from shrapnel piercing upward through the flimsy fuselage. Herriot had never been in a glider before and didn't know how to fly one, but he happened to be the guy sitting right behind the pilot.

"I pushed the pilot out of the way and got in his seat," Herriot, 90, of Friendship, recalled Thursday afternoon. "I went through a barbed wire fence and ended nose up in a ditch. I think that saved us from enemy fire."

Herriot and the dozen other soldiers in the back of the glider survived unscathed, and he earned a Bronze Star a short time later for taking over his platoon and leading them across a bridge while under fire.

Herriot and about 80 other World War II glider pilots and riders are in Madison for a three-day symposium on the relatively little-known aircraft that made a huge difference in a half dozen combat operations in Europe, including D-Day and Operation Market Garden. The symposium continues Friday and ends Saturday.

Thursday's event was held at the U.S. Forest Products Lab in Madison because of the connection of Wisconsin's forests to the Army's Glider Corps. Plywood from Roddis Lumber and Veneer in Marshfield was sent to eight of the 16 wartime glider manufacturers, so it's quite possible that Herriot journeyed thousands of miles from his central Wisconsin home to fly a plane made from wood logged not far from where he grew up.

h/t to Dan for sharing this article...

By: Brant

Understatement Man Strikes Again! We Can All Aspire to This Level of Mediocrity

Medal of Honor awardee insists he's an average soldier.

The first living Medal of Honor recipient Honor in a generation says he’s just another grunt trying to complete the mission.

“In this job, I’m mediocre. I’m average,” Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday by video link from his base in Vicenza, Italy, where his 173 Airborne Brigade Combat Team is based.

“This was a situation we were put into,” Giunta said. “By no means did I do anything that everyone else wouldn’t have done.”

On Oct. 25, 2007, Giunta was a team leader wrapping up a day’s mission in the rugged Korengal Valley in Afghanistan’s Kunar province when his platoon came under fire. A round slammed into his bulletproof chest plate, but he quickly regained his footing and ran into the gunfire and helped pull three wounded soldiers to safety.

He helped provide cover and care for Sgt. Josh Brennan, who was struck by six rounds and was later medevaced out.

“I didn’t run up to do anything heroic or to save Brennan,” Giunta said. “In my mind Brennan wasn’t in trouble. I was just going up and I was going to find Brennan and we were going to shoot together. It’s better to be shooting with a buddy than to be shooting alone.”

By: Brant

War Heroes: SSG Salvatore Ginuta

The US is preparing to award the CMH to a living soldier for actions in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta will be the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama spoke with Giunta, who is assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, in Vicenza, Italy, to inform him that he will be awarded the nation’s highest valor award, according to the White House.

Giunta will be honored for his actions during a fierce firefight Oct. 25, 2007, in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley.

According to the White House announcement, when an insurgent force ambush split Giunta’s squad into two groups, he exposed himself to enemy fire to pull a comrade back to cover. Later, while engaging the enemy and attempting to link up with the rest of his squad, Giunta noticed two insurgents carrying away a fellow soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other, and provided medical aid to his wounded comrade while the rest of his squad caught up and provided security.

His courage and leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon’s ability defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American paratrooper from enemy hands, according to the White House.

The Medal of Honor awarded to Giunta will be the eighth since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By: Brant

Monday Video: Ruski Airborniski

OK, I don't speak Russian. Or even fake it well. But it's a cool video to start you week with a recruiting BANG!



Don't forget to nominate your own videos in the comments below for future inclusion

By: Brant

Army Releases Findings of Wanat Review

The Army has released their findings in the review of the Battle of Wanat.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh announced today that the Army has completed action on the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) independent investigation of the July 13, 2008, battle fought by soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team at Wanat, Afghanistan. This engagement claimed the lives of nine U.S. soldiers and resulted in 27 casualties.

On Jan. 27, McHugh appointed Gen. Charles Campbell, former commander of U.S. Army Forces Command, to review the CENTCOM investigation and take appropriate actions with regard to officers identified therein. Campbell’s examination involved a detailed analysis of the CENTCOM investigation, as well as a review of the original investigation conducted by the 101st Airborne Division.

On March 5, based upon his initial review of the CENTCOM investigation, Campbell initiated adverse administrative actions against former officers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team’s chain of command. As part of administrative due process, each officer was given full access to both the CENTCOM and 101st Airborne Division investigations. Additionally, Campbell afforded each officer the opportunity to submit matters for his consideration. They provided extensive additional written information to Campbell, which was not previously provided to the CENTCOM or the 101st Airborne Division investigators. Campbell also met with each of the officers.

By: Brant

Monday Video: Learning to be Airborne (And Pretend You're Flying)

This week's video you don't want to end with a bang, since it might be you banging on the pavement from 1800ft.



By: Brant

UK In Action: The Paras II

The Paras, in Afghanistan

Image: UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7