It’s unfortunate that “Hurt Locker” nabbed the Oscar for Best Picture. Not because the film, from a cinematic perspective, was unworthy. Indeed, its cast and crew certainly exceeded expectations in their respective professions. And Scoop Deck is thrilled that Kathryn Bigelow broke the barrier and nabbed the first top prize for a female director (beating her ex-husband, James Cameron in the process). What is disconcerting is that the movie is so unrealistic. Not simply unrealistic in the fact that the troops are wearing the wrong cammies. While Jeremy Renner provides a wonderful portrayal of the undisciplined maverick SSG William James,…
Browsing: ordnance
Reporting from the fourth annual Naval Expeditionary Forces Symposium and Expo … Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Stebbins, executive officer of EOD Mobile Unit 6, is giving the EOD scoop. He is a mustang with a wealth of knowledge in gunnery, parachute ops and all things that go boom. And he brings a remarkable and commendable report of EOD operations in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom for 2009. These sailors and officers: Conducted 6,125 combat missions Conducted 916 direct-action missions with Special Operations Forces Neutralized 1,306 improvised explosive devices Removed 336,000 pounds of explosives from the battlefield Were awarded six Purple…
Thanks to Joel “Bubblehead” Kennedy, who reminds us of the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of USS George Washington (SSBN 598), the first ballistic missile submarine. What must it have been like to be there July 20 1960, when the skipper sent a burner 1,100 miles downrange, then sent President Eisenhower the message: POLARIS — FROM OUT OF THE DEEP TO TARGET. PERFECT. I think Bubblehead says it best: Service in SSBNs might not be as glamorous and exciting as being on an attack boat, but the bottom line is that our strategic capability is the cornerstone of our national…
