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Winter Camping Army Style

If the quality of leadership is anything like what I have seen the past dozen or so years, this was poorly done. I have lived outside in these conditions in -40 and none of us got frostbite. The military of today uses instant experts....you read a book and teach a class pretending to know what you are doing. Ergo crap happens because none of you actually have any experience. Seems a likely expanation. The troops are a bit soft today also but with good NCOs they should have been fine. Over confidence may have played a part too.

Todays army relies too much on tech, and much less on grit and determination.

Christine
 
You wouldn't suffer at Black Rapids this winter as some Dog Sled Races are being cancelled because of qwarm temperatures and rain.
 
Yeaahhh....I noticed Baffin Island is warmer than Winnipeg this morning. Great.

Christine
 
Minus 45 C (-49 F) here this morning, and even our Siberian husky wanted to come into the house. His own house is comfy, and filled with barley straw. He apparently slept well all night, as we hadn't heard a peep out of him. Indeed, Siberian huskys are alleged to be warm down to -60 C (-75 F). He had been sitting outside his house for about 30 minutes, appearing calm and relaxed. as he usually does just before his customary morning walk. But he eschewed the walk, knowing he had already pooped and peed. He ran to the back door, and waited to be let in. The last few days have also been cold (-38 C; -36 F), and he was quite energized on the walks, and sitting in the sun in front of his house after the walks. Maybe this morning he just wanted to be petted rather than walked.
 
Back in the day, I had a kid in my Squad that got Frostbite on a Training Exercise, even after I had done a couple of ordered from above 'Foot Checks'. He had seen one of his buddies get Frostbite and didn't have to go to the Field during cold weather. Long story short, he got out of Field during cold weather but I got him a Battalion Grade Article 15 (a section of the Uniform Code of Military Justice allowing commanders to carry out discretionary punishments without judicial proceedings.) for Destruction of Government Property.
 
I not proud of it but the kid froze his feet to get out of going to the Field. The Company First Sgt was of the driving forces for the Art 15. It was deserved.
 
I understand the issue and the punishment Sweeper...self inflicted wounds need to be addressed or it snowballs out of control. And that sort of thing can have lasting and severe consequences for the perpetrator medically speaking.

The Army is a hard life...its not for everyone.

Christine
 
I saw this story last week, then yesterdays Fairbanks Daily News-Miner newspaper also had a front page article about this event. For reasons I can not figure out I am unable to post their story, you should be able to find it at:

http://www.newsminer.com/news/local...cle_4c2922a0-29ef-11e9-8d56-47d59b1708d0.html

Another example of military winter training mission that went bad, then then turned into a real mission. 88 cases of Frostbite, didn't see one word about disciplinary action.
 
I remember it well......extreme cold that couldn't be measured at some airports. Some areas thought to reach -80F. There was some talk of the barometer reading so high that it skewed the altimeter reading on the C-130. Steel was brittle and breaking on trucks/trailers. I was coming off Atigun Pass where it was -40F and when we reached lower areas, we couldn't keep windshield even partially clear even with the radiator covered......Wiseman and Coldfoot had cold too extreme to measure with conventional thermometers.
 
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