Isn't this wierd.

[IceFire 0]

Hi, I was playing OPF and noticed in the cutscene where General Guba makes a tape telling Colonel Blake and Gastovski that he captured a Pilot (Nichols) and to leave the island.

Afterwards when asked about what to do about the captive pilot, Colonel Blake says something like "He's going to have to escape on his own".

I found that surprising. Considering the code the miltary goes by as to "Never leave a man behind". This is something noone in the military ever would turn their back on. It's supposed to be considered a very sacred code. In famous combat missions, troops stayed with injured comrades and died against impossible odds insead of choosing to escape.

So with all how it is "Never leave a man behind" I am very surprised that Blake didn't attempt a rescue for Nichols.

Isn't that like a complete lack of respect for such sacred code and tradition?

Every soldier fights and takes comfort knowing that if he goes down or is wounded, he wont be left for dead, and that his comrades will protect eachother.

[Baron Hurlothrumbo IIX 0]

America != The whole world

And its not even always true in the American military. If the costs in retrieving them will be too big, then the soldier(s) will be left.

Different countries vary on what cost is too big (most countries apart from America making it 'If substantially more people would be lost rescueing them than saved by rescueing them'

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

Not weird at all.

You seem to be implying that the US military would go after each and every man captured. Yet if you look at the Gulf War in 1991, how many shot down pilots/captured spec ops were rescued? Or Vietnam, how many rescue attempts were there? Just one, and that one failed.

Also, you need to consider the particular problems of the CWC scenario - you have a Soviet Renegade General running mad on some (presumably) Baltic Islands, the Soviet Army is steamrolling in to stop him, you only have a rather meager force to fight with, then you get told he is ready to use nuclear weapons - in such a situation, can you really afford to waste a helicopter and a squad of your best soldiers to find the one guy? Not at all.

That is what being a Colonel is about - sometimes you have to send men to their deaths. It ain't nice, but that is the reality.

[Harnu 0]

Hi, I was playing OPF and noticed in the cutscene where General Guba makes a tape telling Colonel Blake and Gastovski that he captured a Pilot (Nichols) and to leave the island.

Afterwards when asked about what to do about the captive pilot, Colonel Blake says something like "He's going to have to escape on his own".

I found that surprising.  Considering the code the miltary goes by as to "Never leave a man behind".    This is something noone in the military ever would turn their back on.  It's supposed to be considered a very sacred code.   In famous combat missions, troops stayed with injured comrades and died against impossible odds insead of choosing to escape.

So with all how it is "Never leave a man behind" I am very surprised that Blake didn't attempt a rescue for Nichols.

Isn't that like a complete lack of respect for such sacred code and tradition?  

Every soldier fights and takes comfort knowing that if he goes down or is wounded, he wont be left for dead, and that his comrades will protect eachother.

After reading that and thinking, I realized it's just a game, so I shouldn't read that far into it

[Tex -USMC- 0]

Not only is it a game, but it's a game made by folks from the Czech Republic, and not anyone who makes US military policy.

[theavonlady 2]

@ Dec. 31 2003,08:13)]Not only is it a game, but it's a game made by folks from the Czech Republic, and not anyone who makes US military policy.

I just hope the 1985 campaign PBO file was expunged from the VBS1 install.

[ralphwiggum 6]

nah, marines would have laughed at that and made fun of Army

[Acecombat 0]

Weell what did you expect him to do?

Send a horde of americans to save one guy while 100 more lie dead in saving him?

Thats plain stupid. The russians hadnt plan on executing him they were to make use of him as a propaganda for the Kremlin back home i think to prove to the elders there thatthe war was under soviet control

Still i hate that mission where you had to watch the Pole star ... arghh *my eyes*

[Gollum1 0]

I thought the Army Ranger code was "leave no man behind", which also means that you don't leave corpses behind.

The rest of the armed forces might have that as an unwritten rule, but officially it's the Ranger code, right?

Great topic title, BTW.

[theavonlady 2]

"leave no man behind"

Makes me feel insecure.

[Gollum1 0]

Well, I'm not sure if the Rangers have women in their ranks. I know SEALs don't, anyway. Except in that movie G.I Jane...

[Cpt. FrostBite 0]

The rule is to never leave a man behind.

HOWEVER; real-life is not the same as the text-book. When a pilot is lost behind enemy lines it's sometimes just not possible to rescue him due to enormous amounts of AAA and SAM's ect. This is why a lot pilots in Vietnam were not rescued.

Also; when a pilot is already in enemy hands the military has often no choise than to just accept it. A resue often just means to get the pilot out before the guy get's caught by the enemy.

Conclusion; it's a rule, but sometimes it's just not possible.

[m21man 0]

Quote[/b] ]Well, I'm not sure if the Rangers have women in their ranks. I know SEALs don't, anyway. Except in that movie G.I Jane...

No, no U.S. special forces branch has women in combat roles.

[FSPilot 0]

Dude, he's a hog pilot. We can take care of ourselves.

[IceFire 0]

Hehe, just got home, noy am I drnk! gonna fallk asleep soon.

Aneways happy new yearr/

[theavonlady 2]

Boy am I dru nk/

Not so bad. You missed the end of sentence period by only one key to the left of the forward slash key.

[IceFire 0]

Thank you. I fixed it up alittle. I think.