Some military questions...

[SEAL84 0]

I'm writing a novel (or trying to ), and since I haven't been in the military, I need some help ensuring accuracy on some things contained in it.

I've talked extensively with many people who have been in, so I think that most of it is on the money, but there are things that need clearing up. Let me preface the points by saying that this is a modern-day story involving US Army infantrymen and an army Black Hawk crew. OPFOR = a few thousand rebel fighters, location = mountainous jungle

1. Are combat medics usually armed? I've been told both yes and no from different people. The platoon is nearly wiped out and the medic ends up joining one of the mostly-intact rifle squads trying to find its way back to friendly territory. Is he carrying a weapon? If not, would it be unrealistic to have him scrounge one, given the circumstances?

2. What sort of radio equipment does a platoon carry? Here's what I'm assuming: squad leaders (sergeants) carry the PRC-126 short-range radio to stay in contact with the platoon leader, while the platoon RTO (in the LT's command section) carries a larger radio. What's the designation for this one? PRC-

3. How are AT4's distributed? From what one guy told me, riflemen seem to get them at random, as long as you have some experience with them in training.

4. What sort of gear would a Black Hawk crew have at their disposal in the event of a crash, aside from sidearms and the standard stuff in the survival kits? As I understand it, every chopper has M-16s aboard...how many? Just two for the crew chiefs? How much ammo for each?

5. Now the fun one...help me out here: you're a rifleman going out on a sweep with your company expected to last 2 or 3 days. How often will you be resupplied, based on duration alone and not factoring in any enemy contact? What will you be carrying when you leave camp? I mean EVERYTHING that you'll be carrying, down to spoons, socks, and all that. Most importantly, how much ammo will you be lugging if you're a rifleman/auto rifleman/squad leader/grenadier? BTW this is a jungle environment and the troops are Air Cav.

Thanks in advance for help...if anyone would be interested in being a sort of "technical advisor," I'd like to have a resource to check these details with from time to time - I'd prefer current or former US Army people.

Again, thanks for reading, all!

[DracoPaladore 0]

1.  Are combat medics usually armed?  I've been told both yes and no from different people.  The platoon is nearly wiped out and the medic ends up joining one of the mostly-intact rifle squads trying to find its way back to friendly territory.  Is he carrying a weapon?  If not, would it be unrealistic to have him scrounge one, given the circumstances?

1. AFAIK, the Geneva convention disallows medics to carry rifles. At all, no acceptions. But I'm not 100% sure.

[feersum.endjinn 6]

1. AFAIK, the Geneva convention disallows medics to carry rifles. At all, no acceptions. But I'm not 100% sure.

According to Geneva convention rules, medical personnel are not supposed to take part in active combat (i.e. assaults), but they can carry weapons and they can use them in self defense, if attacked. If you look at pictures from any modern war, medics are usually armed to teeth just like any other infantry soldier.

[DracoPaladore 0]

1. AFAIK, the Geneva convention disallows medics to carry rifles. At all, no acceptions. But I'm not 100% sure.

According to Geneva convention rules, medical personnel are not supposed to take part in active combat (i.e. assaults), but they can carry weapons and they can use them in self defense, if attacked. If you look at pictures from any modern war, medics are usually armed to teeth just like any other infantry soldier.

Interesting big of info to know. Thankya

[Ares1978 0]

According to Geneva convention rules, medical personnel are not supposed to take part in active combat (i.e. assaults), but they can carry weapons and they can use them in self defense, if attacked. If you look at pictures from any modern war, medics are usually armed to teeth just like any other infantry soldier.

Pretty much. They are not "allowed" to take part in active combat as long as they carry the red cross insignia/armband/whatever. It's not that they're medics, it's more about keeping on-duty medical personnel off the legal target list, in general.

[brgnorway 0]

Don't know if it's changed but when I did my service here in Norway medics only carried sidearms. They all had to go through ordinary training with AG 3 during recruit period though.

[Placebo 28]

I was always under the impression the rule was you can't shoot an unarmed medic but if he carried a weapon he's fair game, and it was up to the medic if he wanted to carry a weapon or not

[Ares1978 0]

I was always under the impression the rule was you can't shoot an unarmed medic but if he carried a weapon he's fair game, and it was up to the medic if he wanted to carry a weapon or not

It seems that it's pretty much open to interpretation. But I have not (yet) found any rule that would prohibit a medic from carrying a weapon, although the lack of a weapon would make it easier to identify him as a medic.

After all, medical personnel, buildings and vehicles are supposed to be considered neutral.

We were taught that he isn't fair game until he starts to use the weapon.

[ACF 0]

The crux isn't medics and guns, it's guns and the Red Cross (or Crescent or whatever; but I will refer only to the Red Cross).

The Red Cross is there for protection and it is considered unsporting and very naughty to hide behind it while shooting people. Medics are allowed to carry arms for the defence of the wounded. If they want to actively engage the enemy when they have nothing better to do then they shouldn't be wearing a Red Cross; they'd be no better than non-medics hiding behind it.

[SEAL84 0]

Okay, thanks for the input...that solves #1. Anybody want to weigh in on any of the others?

[Tovarish 0]

What's the designation for this one? PRC-

This is likely outdated, but in Vietnam it was PRC-25

[SEAL84 0]

What's the designation for this one? PRC-

This is likely outdated, but in Vietnam it was PRC-25

Spent some more time looking...looks like the AN/PRC-119 is the most modern backpack radio. Can anybody confirm that?

[rekster 0]

It has been 5 years since I was in the active Military but we used PRC 119's. They could be mounted in Vehicles or carried on ones back. They also could receive crypto, and perform Freq. Hop. (The channels kept jumping, so no one trying to listen in, could figure out what channel you were on). The Radios can take a "Fill" (Crypto) from any NATO country. It is an excellent radio, but it rely's on Line of site to make sure you can talk. If your unit is in a valley somewhere, you could be 2 miles away from HQ and never hear each other. I am sure units today are still using it.

[EiZei 0]

We were taught that he isn't fair game until he starts to use the weapon.

Use as in carrying one or pulling the trigger?

[Sneaky 0]

The crux isn't medics and guns, it's guns and the Red Cross (or Crescent or whatever; but I will refer only to the Red Cross).

The Red Cross is there for protection and it is considered unsporting and very naughty to hide behind it while shooting people.  Medics are allowed to carry arms for the defence of the wounded.  If they want to actively engage the enemy when they have nothing better to do then they shouldn't be wearing a Red Cross; they'd be no better than non-medics hiding behind it.

I agree with this one. We were taught that if you were wearing an armband with a red cross on a white background, you are not allowed to use weapons (we were taught that you couldnt even touch a weapon, but I doubt thats 100% right, we werent medics after all).

However, every patrol have a medic in the team, as in a normal soldier with extra medical education (a little). He carried some extra medical stuff, but otherwise he were just a normal soldier, carrying the same stuff as any other soldier.

I vagually remember something about the last type of medic might use a green cross or something, not sure though.

"We" were the Norwegian amfibious forces, just for the record.

[Ares1978 0]

We were taught that he isn't fair game until he starts to use the weapon.

Use as in carrying one or pulling the trigger?

Use as in trying to make people dead with it.

[brgnorway 0]

The crux isn't medics and guns, it's guns and the Red Cross (or Crescent or whatever; but I will refer only to the Red Cross).

The Red Cross is there for protection and it is considered unsporting and very naughty to hide behind it while shooting people.  Medics are allowed to carry arms for the defence of the wounded.  If they want to actively engage the enemy when they have nothing better to do then they shouldn't be wearing a Red Cross; they'd be no better than non-medics hiding behind it.

I agree with this one. We were taught that if you were wearing an armband with a red cross on a white background, you are not allowed to use weapons (we were taught that you couldnt even touch a weapon, but I doubt thats 100% right, we werent medics after all).

However, every patrol have a medic in the team, as in a normal soldier with extra medical education (a little). He carried some extra medical stuff, but otherwise he were just a normal soldier, carrying the same stuff as any other soldier.

I vagually remember something about the last type of medic might use a green cross or something, not sure though.

"We" were the Norwegian amfibious forces, just for the record.

"Kystjeger" I presume?

When and where did you serve?

Oh, and I clearly remember an episode reported in the major norwegian newspapers in the early nineties where norwegian medical soldiers shot back when attacked - somewhere in bosnia!

You are allowed to carry sidearms for selfdefence!

[Madus_Maximus 0]

To be honest, considering the location and the enemy this novel seems to be depicting I'd guess they'd carry a weapon like any other soldier, for the simple fact, that rebels (I'm assuimg this) don't care for the Geneva Convention, and they're not actually bound by it either because they didn't sign it. So if they see an unarmed man 9 times out of 10 they'd think "Oh easy target" *bam* and the other time you'd get someone think "He's a medic... he's only trying to help".

Anyway this sounds interesting... maybe you could put little snippets on the forums so we can see how it's coming along? It could also help with any bits you may have wrong and get them corrected.

[DracoPaladore 0]

Or, the enemy of the novel might be intellegent enough to use the medical oath to get treatment of himself or his own people and then kill off the medic when his usability is expired.

[Oligo 1]

Funny, when I served in FDF, I was never told about all of this stuff. All they said is: If it is an enemy which is clearly not displaying signals of surrender, shoot to kill, or more preferably, to severely wound (bleeding + screaming soldiers drain enemy morale). And everybody always had an assault rifle, medics included.

Maybe I just missed the approppriate lectures.

[Ares1978 0]

Funny, when I served in FDF, I was never told about all of this stuff. All they said is: If it is an enemy which is clearly not displaying signals of surrender, shoot to kill, or more preferably, to severely wound (bleeding + screaming soldiers drain enemy morale). And everybody always had an assault rifle, medics included.

Maybe I just missed the approppriate lectures.  

We had a one day lecture about "being a medic" in the FDF during the recruit phase. Not just first aid, but also about the "legal aspects", the obligations a medic has etc.

I can't say I remember everything, though.

[SpongeBob 0]

Do all the US Military vehicles in Iraq right now run on diesel or are there any that take regular unleaded gasoline?

[monty67t 0]

Hey SpongeBob, I am getting ready to head to work right now, but I will give you a full response later. I am currently serving in the U.S. Army with Delta Co. 4/101st Aviation Regiment. I am stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). I can answer all of your questions when I have more time. You can PM me if you have more questions. Gotta go!

Monty

[SEAL84 0]

Hey SpongeBob, I am getting ready to head to work right now, but I will give you a full response later. I am currently serving in the U.S. Army with Delta Co. 4/101st Aviation Regiment. I am stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). I can answer all of your questions when I have more time. You can PM me if you have more questions. Gotta go!

Monty

Ah, someone from the 101st.....eeexcellent...

Perhaps you could answer #4 from my original post:

Quote[/b] ]4. What sort of gear would a Black Hawk crew have at their disposal in the event of a crash, aside from sidearms and the standard stuff in the survival kits? As I understand it, every chopper has M-16s aboard...how many? Just two for the crew chiefs? How much ammo for each?

Anyhow, check PMs

[The Real Armstrong 0]

About medic stuff:

OK, so if he's a medic you can't kill him. If it's just someone else normal you can blow his face off. Somehow I don't get it to go round.