If you think the Army is doing the right thing with its Medevac choppers sporting a red cross, you’re just as crazy as they are.
This is stupid. Plain and simple. Contact your congress critter and get them to hold the Army’s feet to the fire on this issue. Too many Soldiers are dying because of this policy.
The following comes from Michael Yon’s website.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
From World War II, we’ve heard reports that the enemy shot at Red Crosses emblazoned on medical vehicles, tents, and helmets. The Japanese were said to specifically target Red Crosses. The Germans were reported to do it from time to time. American troops in Europe and the Pacific sometimes covered the Red Crosses to avoid being hit.
World War II should have been enough to teach us a lesson. But the Army seemed dumb. There was a repeat in Korea. A retired military man forwarded a link to this Korean War video.
Notice at the 4min57sec mark, our troops are hiding a Red Cross. How many of our people were shot to pieces in WWII and Korea before they started covering the symbols?
Then our people fought in Vietnam. Our Dustoff helicopters sported Red Crosses and were shot down.
Dumb learns from pain. Insane just keeps bashing its head against the wall and expecting different results.
Fast forward past Iraq wherein people kept shooting at our Red Crosses. Today the enemy is doing the same in Afghanistan.
The Marines, Air Force, and British did not and do not sport Red Crosses in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The Army needs intervention.
As we move into 2012, after a decade of war in Afghanistan, the Army continues an insane policy that been insane for about seventy years. The policy has existed long enough to retire and draw Social Security. Dumb policies don’t get smarter with time.
Meanwhile, the Army has redoubled efforts to send unarmed helicopters sporting Red Crosses into battle. In Afghanistan, crosses often are seen as evil symbols.
Today, when you question the Army about the policy, they first try deception. They say they are following Geneva Conventions. This is untrue. Curiously, when the Army says this, they imply that the Air Force, Marines and British are breaking the Geneva Conventions.
The US Army is allowing troops to die on Afghan battlefields. It’s not just Soldiers who suffer. Army helicopters also rescue Marines, Air Force and Navy personnel in Afghanistan. The unarmed helicopters cause serious delays in medical evacuations, while exposing crews to greatly increased dangers.
This policy is wrong.
via The Army ain’t Dumb (It’s Crazy).
Take action! I did.
Write to your Congress critter, papers, anything that you think might help. We need the Army to change its ways.
Use this as a template if you like:
I am writing in regards to the Army’s policy to put a red cross on all its Medevac helicopters and to fly them unarmed into situations that warrant, at a minimum, an armed helicopter to recover wounded soldiers.
The main issue is the fact that:
1) The red cross on the helicopter is a target for Jihadists,
2) An unarmed helicopter cannot defend itself at the lower altitude that it operates in, even with top cover from an Apache attack helicopter, the angle of attack is limited,
3)The USMC and USAF do not adorn their Medevac helicopters with red crosses, and their helicopters are armed and can defend themselves,
4)The Army has to ensure that another armed helicopter asset is available to provide top cover, seriously reducing the assets available for close air support that could be used elsewhere,
5)The time that a Medevac has to recover a wounded soldier is longer because coordination with an attack aviation asset has to be made which could delay the arrival of the Medevac on station, jeopardizing the life of the wounded soldier.
In my opinion, and the opinion of others, it is a crime to send soldiers into combat unarmed in the Medevac helicopters as well as putting their lives in danger, the Soldiers that they are trying to get to are also placed in danger from the amount of time it takes to reach them, as well as being a target for every Jihadist with a gun.
I implore you to make a serious effort to get the Army to change its ways. There is no reason for the Army to have red crosses painted on their helicopters, other than out of a sense of entitlement for some general, or other.
Leave a Response »
