Expert Commentary on The Military Channel

I frequently watch the documentaries on cable TV’s Military Channel. I recently had the absolutely priceless experience of watching a documentary on the training of US Army Rangers while sitting on the same sofa with a retired US Marine First Sergeant who spent five years on a drill field. Every time the documentary showed someone who had messed up, my companion would say in a split second, either “that’s dishonest, that’s unacceptable, he is gone, gone, gone,” or “he’s got a good attitude; he’ll be back.”

In one exercise, Ranger teams had to simulate carrying an injured pilot to safety. One team slung the 200-pound weight underneath two sections of pipe to carry the simulated pilot a couple of miles to safety. My companion immediately pointed out that they had screwed up big-time. The key to evacuating a wounded comrade is to carry them as high as possible, since a high center of gravity makes for a much easier carry.