05 January 2017 (05:32 UTC-07 Tango 06) 16 Dey 1395/06 Rabi ‘ath-Thani 1438/08 Ji Chou 4714
In August 2016 Sergeant First Class Erin Smith was awarded with Idaho’s Spirit of Freedom Award. Her ‘exceptional’ act was becoming the first ever female ‘tanker’ in the United States military! (I wonder why the U.S. main stream national news media didn’t mention it?)
SFC Smith officially became a M1 tanker (MOS 19K) in June of 2016. Her original MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was healthcare specialist. She deployed to Bosnia in 2002 and then Iraq in 2004, where she was awarded the Combat Medical Badge.
Smith’s transition to a combat MOS was the result of U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter opening combat jobs to women at the end of 2015. However, I’ve always known some women can handle combat jobs no problem. Several NATO member countries have had female’s in combat jobs for decades, such as Idaho’s neighbor to the north Canada.
While deployed for a ‘friendly’ armor contest with Canadian tankers in 2002, an impromptu main-gun loading contest was held between Bravo Company, 2-116th Armored Cav, Idaho National Guard and Canadian tankers in Alberta. Main-gun rounds weigh about 19kg (40 pounds) and unlike the auto-loading Soviet/Russian panzers most U.S.-NATO tanks are manually loaded. Guess who won the manly competition? A skinny Canadian army officer who just happened to be a female!
But that’s not the first time I witnessed a female kicking ass over males. While attending Army Basic Training in 1982 one of my Army Drill Sergeants was a little female who could out push-up and out sit-up the men!
Still, I’m proud the Idaho National Guard can boast having the first female M1 Abrams tanker in the U.S.!
Despite the U.S.-EU-Saudi-Israeli instigated war in Syria, the Syrian Universal Group for Home Appliances is participating in the 118th China Import and Export Fair currently held in the city of Guangzhou, southern China. On top of that, revenues from free trade zones inside Syria have actually increased. The Syrian Director-General of the Free-Trade Zones Establishment says from September 2014 to September 2015 revenues increased by 240-million Syrian Pounds (SYP).
Syrian intelligence says they know what happened to the hundreds of U.S.-EU-Saudi-Israeli backed insurgents that Run Away (as Monty Python would say) into U.S. led NATO Turkey; more than 5-hundred were loaded onto planes bound for Yemen! Intelligence says the 5-hundred+ insurgents were loaded onto two Turkish Airlines planes, one Qatar Airways plane and one Emirates airline plane. After arriving in Yemen, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) agents met the insurgents, dividing them up and transporting them to different regions of Yemen and KSA.
Aleppo Governorate: Syrian Arab Army Air Force bombed U.S.-EU-Saudi-Israeli backed DAIISH (Islamic State; DA for al-DAwla, I for al-Islamiya, I for al-Iraq, SH al-SHam [al-Sham = Syria]) in al-Sheikh Ahmad village to the south of the Air Force Academy. Two insurgent rockets impacted in al-A’zamia neighborhood, at the roundabout of Bilal Mosque, killing four civilians and wounding 26 others. 14 National Defense Forces (pro-government militia) personnel killed when they drove over a landmine in al- Ramosah road during a battle for control of a cement plant.
Damascus (Rif Dimashq) area: Syrian Arab Army continued battling U.S.-EU-Saudi-Israeli backed Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) and Jaish al-Islam in the Eastern Ghouta and the Western Ghouta areas of Damascus countryside, as well as attacking the Ajnad al-Cham insurgents in al-Jameyat neighborhood of Daraya City. Eight civilians were wounded by mortar rounds lobed by Jaish al-Islam on Bab Touma neighborhood in Damascus City. Two civilians in al-Wafidin Refugee Camp wounded during mortar attack by Jaish al-Islam.
Daraa Governorate: Syrian Arab Army shot down seven small RC hobbyist type drones over Ezraa City. The drones were packed with the U.S. explosive C4 (‘plastic’ explosives). This is the second time a wave of RC drones tried to attack the city, the first time was on 11 October when nine similar RC drones were shot down. Nine Nusra Front insurgents killed in Daraa city.
Deir Ezzor Governorate: Syrian Arab Army destroyed a small DAIISH convoy of U.S./Japanese made gun-trucksin al-Hweika neighborhood of Deir Ezzor City. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports DAIISH is forcing male residents of al- Bokamal to undergo DAIISH indoctrination at two mosques. The city of Bokamal sits on the border with Iraq. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports DAIISH executed two males by throwing them from the top of al-Hekma Hospital, they were accused of being homosexuals. More proof residents are rising up against U.S.-EU-Saudi-Israeli backed DAIISH. In al-Miadin City a man and woman riding on a motorcycle attacked DAIISH insurgents after the insurgents took control of the city. Reports DAIISH also took control of al- Sina’ah neighborhood in Deir Ezzor City.
VIDEO: SYRIAN ARAB ARMY, LEBANESE RESISTANCE, RUSSIA attack INSURGENTS on The Al-Ghab Plain, Hama.
Hama Governorate: Syrian Arab Army Air Force bombed DAIISH in the villages of al-Sheikh Hilal, Rasm al-Tineh, Rasm Amoun, Jbab and Tanahej in the eastern countryside of Hama province. Three civilians wounded after DAIISH remote detonated a landmine in the al-Saan-Jib Khsara road, as a minibus drove by. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports eight Afghans fighting for the Syrian Arab Army were executed after being captured by insurgents. The insurgents turned out to be Uzbeks and Turks.
VIDEO: DAIISH EXECUTES 19 YEARS OLD MAN WITH T55 PANZER, THEY ACCUSED HIM OF RUNNING OVER DEAD DAIISH BODIES WITH A TANK! These executions are not faked, watch video for proof!!!
Homs Governorate: Syrian Arab Army and National Defense Forces (militias) and Syrian Army Air Force conductedintensive battles against DAIISH in al-Baiyarat area 10 kilometers west of Palmyra City as well as other locations. Reports say DAIISH executed three men by tying them to columns at the Palmyra ruins, then blowing up the ruins. Nusra Front targets in Teirmala, Jawalak, al-Ghanto, al-Farhanyeh, Umm Sharshouh and Talbeseh were targeted as well. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports DAIISH publicly chopped off the head of a man they accused of murder.
Idlib Governorate: 12 Jaish al-Fateh, Jund al-Aqsa and Nusra Front gun-trucks destroyed and at least 60 insurgents killed. Some of the insurgents included Turks.
Raqqa Governorate: At Gire Spi (Tal Abyad), Kobanê Canton, YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units)-YPJ (Kurdish Women’s Defense Units)report being directly attacked by U.S. led NATO member Turkey. Tal Abyad sits right on the border with Turkey. YPG-YPJ reports that Turkish troops were shooting at them with U.S. designed M16A4 assault rifles and M2 .50 cals, and that Turkish ground forces have increased patrols along the border. The attacks began on 25 October. The Turkish attacks on Kurdish defenders seem to coincide with attacks by DAIISH. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed the attacks during an interview with Turkish news media, stressing that Kurds are considered enemies of Turkey. Weak minded Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan even stated “All they [Kurds] want is to seize northern Syria entirely…..this constitutes a threat for us…” Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that in DAIISH controlled areas the public use of TV has been banned. In Raqqa City, DAIISH female police (hisba) arrested a woman for improper clothing. It’s being reported that DAIISH has just received at least ten brand new U.S. and Japanese made pickup trucks, which have been converted into gun-trucks.
Sweida Governorate: Syrian Arab Army and National Defense Forces (militias) ambushed and destroyed a DAIISH vehiclein Tal Asheihib al-Shamali area.
Introduced to the public at the Victory Day Parade on 09MAY2015, the T-14 Armata features fully digitized equipment, an unmanned turret and an isolated armored capsule for the crew.
Military Vehicle Park, part of the John B Mahaffey Museum Complex, click the pics (by AAron B. Hutchins) to make them bigger and see more:
Second World War era M4 Sherman chemical (flamethrower) tank.
Vietnam War era V-100/M706 armored car. Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
Vietnam War era patrol boat. The U.S. Army actually has more ‘boats’ than the U.S. Navy.
Vietnam War era M113 (M132) chemical (flamethrower) tank.
Vietnam War era UH-1B Iroquois.
Vietnam War era M48 (M67 zippo) chemical (flamethrower) tank.
Vietnam War era M60 based M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle (CEV). One of the first armored vehicles I trained on, back in 1982.
The M728 is perfect for COIN ops, and the U.S. Army, and state National Guards have hundreds rusting away in depots. Yet, the government spent billions developing new COIN vehicles for their War on Terror! I love that 165mm demolition gun, firing 65 pounds of bunker busting C4 (HEP) explosive!
Vietnam War era Rome Plow (Caterpillar D7). The plow was designed not only to dig up land, but to deforest jungles.
Late Cold War era M113 (M1059) chemical (smoke layer) tank.
Late Cold War era M9 Armored Combat Earthmover (ACE). Air transportable, and with the right equipment it is amphibious.
M1 Grizzly Combat Mobility Vehicle. The CMV program was cancelled in 2001.
The German Parliament is investigating the sale of 200 of the latest version of Germany’s Leopard 2 tank to Saudi Arabia. It was an unnamed Saudi source that revealed the sale.
German law bans the sale of major weapons systems to countries in crisis hit regions: “Selling 200 Leopard tanks to Saudi Arabia is far from ethical foreign policy. The country is in the middle of a regional powder keg. You shouldn’t be giving out matches there.”-Andrea Nahles, SPD General Secretary
Der Spiegel revealed that it was Chancellor Merkel’s security council that approved the sale.
What makes this even more controversial is that Germany already gave Saudi Arabia a $93 billion ‘stimulus’ package, specifically for military/security use. It’s rumored that Saudi Arabia needs the military help after invading the tiny island country of Bahrain, and after constant military action on their border with Yemen.
