Infantry Magazine articles from December 2003

Infantry Magazine archives from December 2003

Warrior ethos--heart of the infantry.(Commandant's Note)(Editorial)
December 22, 2003... All Soldiers must be Warriors. This goes to the heart of what soldiering is all about, because it comprises those moral, ethical, and psychological attributes that ultimately define success on the battlefield and guide us as Soldiers. The...

Army fields new shotgun system.(Infantry News)
December 22, 2003... A new lightweight shotgun system (LSS) developed by the Soldier Battle Lab is currently being fielded by U.S. Soldiers serving in Afghanistan. About 200 of the XM-26 shotgun systems were delivered to 10th Mountain Division units in Kandahar and...

Use of two new fibers could lighten body armor.(Infantry News)
December 22, 2003... Two new fibers are vying to one day replace the respected but heavier Kevlar, the staple of body armor for decades, as the Army strives to enhance mobility by reducing the Soldier load. Body armor is one of the more riveting individual...

One shot, one kill: snipers converge on Benning for competition.(Infantry News)
December 22, 2003... Sniper teams from around the world converged on Fort Benning Nov. 8-15 for the third annual U.S. Army International Sniper Competition. Twenty-one two-man sniper teams from military units around the world including Germany, Canada and Great...

The fighting Eagle TAC: 1-8th forms tactical command post ground assault element.(Professional Forum)
December 22, 2003... The "Fighting Eagles" of the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), 4th Infantry Division--who are currently deployed to Iraq,--recently implemented a new tactic, technique, and procedure (TTP) for operating its tactical command...

A transformed force in legacy clothing.(Professional Forum)
December 22, 2003... The deployment and subsequent actions of the 173d Airborne Brigade during Operation Iraqi Freedom do much to demonstrate how today's legacy forces can lean forward towards the intended capabilities of the Army's Future Force. By taking...

The forward surgical team: the army's ultimate lifesaving force ...(Professional Forum)
December 22, 2003... The purpose of this article is to define the Forward Surgical Team (FST), delineate its mission, and explain how to use it to optimize combat casualty care for the supported maneuver unit. The intent is to give brigade, forward support...

Defeating an ambush--Vietnam.(Professional Forum)
December 22, 2003... As America strove to maintain law and order in the streets of Iraq, our forces encountered hostile fire at the average rate of 35 attacks per day. Enemy guerilla forces used a myriad of tactics and techniques to overcome the superior fire...

Conducting vehicle checkpoints in Kosovo.(Professional Forum)
December 22, 2003... Conducting vehicle checkpoints (VCPs) in Kosovo is a standard procedure used in an attempt to catch smuggled weapons or cargo. However, after 20 minutes of standing up a vehicle checkpoint, the VCP is no longer effective. Smugglers today in...

Execution of a vehicular ambush in Iraq: U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq regularly face ambushes and hostile fire. The following vehicular ambush occurred July 21, 2003.(Professional Forum)
December 22, 2003... Shortly after sunup, a convoy was moving north, approaching a road cut through a small hill. The area is relatively flat, with several small rises giving a good view of the ambush site. An ambusher at the observation point was evidently...

TF 1-15: an infantry task force goes to war.
December 22, 2003... This is the story of one infantry battalion task force and its introduction to combat operations during the opening stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Although the experiences of the Soldiers in this unit are unique, the issues and adversity...

Armored vehicle defense against RPGs.
December 22, 2003... Following my 1998 retirement after 30 years of service in the U.S. Army, I have followed with interest continuing developments in Army weapons and tactics. The focus of my attention has been those developments which closely parallel my own...

IEDs: enemy steps up attacks using explosive devices.
December 22, 2003... Improvised Explosive Device (IED): A device placed or fabricated in an improvised manner incorporating destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic, or incendiary chemicals and designed to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract. It may...

Small arms integration: bringing it all together.(Training Notes)
December 22, 2003... As the Army continues its drive to transformation, the umber and variety of weapon-mounted sights and accessories arriving in units is growing. Intended to improve the individual Soldier's lethality and survivability, the growing number of...

Tactical decision excercise: bomb attacks in Afghanistan.(Training Notes)
December 22, 2003... Editor's Note: The following vignettes were adapted from The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War, which was written by Ali Ahmad Jalali and Lester Grau. The four vignettes were submitted by Haft Mohammad...

On battalion command: advice for future commanders.(Training Notes)
December 22, 2003... Not long ago, I gave up command of an infantry battalion. wasn't the best commander in the division, but I think was a good one. Along the way, I learned some lessons that may be useful to you, the officer who aspires to command an infantry...

Breaking contact: tips to overcome common weaknesses.(Training Notes)
December 22, 2003... Imagine a small patrol deep in enemy territory, intent upon getting to their objective. Patrol members are lulled by routine, fatigued by nervous anticipation, and moving with heavy rucksacks. Suddenly, shots are fired--a chance contact with an...

MOUT training during peacekeeping deployments.
December 22, 2003... Peacekeeping operations in Kosovo make it extremely difficult to maintain collective combat skills. Units are challenged during any peacekeeping operation to maintain individual skills of rifle marksmanship, physical training, and to keep an...

Soldiers in CENTCOM eligible for $5,000 re-up bonus.(Infantry Career Notes)
December 22, 2003... Soldiers who re-enlist in the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility this fiscal year are now eligible for a lump-sum bonus of about $5,000, and the bonus is also retroactive for Soldiers who re-enlisted from Oct. 1 until now. ...

Mobilized RC officers now competitive for promotion.(Infantry Career Notes)
December 22, 2003... Mobilized reserve-component officers who have been selected for promotion now have a chance to pin their new rank on about the same time their counterparts at home do. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs...

Delivering the Goods. The Art of Managing Your Supply Chain.(Book Review)
December 22, 2003... Delivering the Goods. The Art of Managing Your Supply Chain. Damon Schechter with Gordon Sander. John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Glossary, references, index. 254 pp. Given our recent thorough, brilliant, and crushing defeat of Iraqi forces,...

Devil at My Heels.(Book Review)
December 22, 2003... Devil at My Heels. Louis Zamperini with David Resin. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2003. 292 pp. $24.95. Devil at My Heels is the remarkable account of an ordinary man faced with extraordinary circumstances. "Lucky" Louis Zamperini has...

Theodore Roosevelt Jr.: the life of a War Hero.(Book Review)
December 22, 2003... Theodore Roosevelt Jr.: The life of a War Hero. H. Paul Jeffers. Presidio, 2001. 282 pp. $27.95. Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., was a hero of two wars. The youngest regimental commander in the American Expeditionary Forces...

The Order of the Death's Head: the Story of Hitler's SS.(Book Review)
December 22, 2003... The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS. Heinz Hohne. Penguin Books, 2001. (Originally published in 1971.) 690 Pages, photos, maps. $17.85, Softbound. No organization in human history has evoked universal condemnation so...

Phantom Soldier: the Enemy's Answer to U.S. Firepower.(Book Review)
December 22, 2003... Phantom Soldier: The Enemy's Answer to U.S. Firepower. H. John Poole. Posterity Press, 2001. 338 Pages. $14.95, Softbound. The middle of the 20th century seems to have marked a watershed in patterns of warfare. Before that time, and most...

The Soldier's Creed.(Poem)
December 22, 2003... The Soldier's Creed I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values. I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat....