tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post3502525108744410424..comments2024-03-28T16:12:08.205-04:00Comments on Eaton Rapids Joe: Tactical retreatEaton Rapids Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09102166969915526172noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-81269010099983870102019-10-18T08:33:51.909-04:002019-10-18T08:33:51.909-04:00I tend to agree with Jonathan. Decades ago I belon...I tend to agree with Jonathan. Decades ago I belonged to a Mech Cav unit. We rarely had tanks at our guard post. Why bother, you couldnt drive em anywhere. A nearby larger installation had the tanks but no rounds to speak of. A rule of thumb seemed to be if the base wasnt big enough for live fire of tank rounds then they certainly didnt need to store them. Again, our local armory had all the M16s. some WW2 style grease guns and plenty of 45s. Also so M2 50 cal machine guns and some M60. However, the only thing I ever saw was some limited blank ammo mainly for m16 and a haandfull of smoke grenades and a few CS teargas grenades. ( Yeah....caught a lung full in a training accident once.....but im not one to hold a grudge against the dumb ass sgt that did it....not much ) I DO know Camp Ripley MN at that time had plenty of everything. Although it was primarily a National Guard base it was ig enough for live fire of tanks, field arty etc. Many units did their Summer Camp there rather than on an Army Base.John Galthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16708866657173222842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-87132388065582831252019-10-17T17:53:16.564-04:002019-10-17T17:53:16.564-04:00Points regarding Army bases not wanting potentiall...Points regarding Army bases not wanting potentially infected NG is a good point. The military does drill on NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) warfare so they have procedures and materials to a higher degree than civilians.<br /><br />I would be very, very surprised if they didn't also have standing orders to destroy munitions before allowing them to fall into unauthorized hands. Those orders would be written in excruciating detail on the preferred methods of decommissioning...possibly including use of them to booby-trap military installations against being over-run by hostiles.Eaton Rapids Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09102166969915526172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-747259928337500942019-10-17T17:48:00.056-04:002019-10-17T17:48:00.056-04:00I would appreciate it if you tickled your sources....I would appreciate it if you tickled your sources. But I don't want any information that should not be public domain or might get your friends in trouble.Eaton Rapids Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09102166969915526172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-52962724768695106892019-10-17T17:06:17.525-04:002019-10-17T17:06:17.525-04:00While I also don't know details, I do know tha...While I also don't know details, I do know that for many years all energetics (ammunition and more) have NOT been stored at armories. In fact, more and more the armories have been sold off or given to local governments - I could point you to several used as community centers or DOT garages. <br />The 'interesting' stuff is kept either at full military bases where the Guard goes to use it during drill weekends/ weeks, or at the smaller number of Guard only bases. Part of BRAC and other moves has been to move more Guard activities onto military bases instead of their own facilities.<br />I have noticed that the current armories I have driven by don't have tanks, artillery, or APC's other than any decorations out front - their back lots are filled with trucks, HMMVs, construction equipment, etc. <br />Even if things fell apart, I doubt you'd find anything more interesting than small arms at a local armory, and even those would be in a strongly built small arms vault. I don't know if mortars would still be there or not. Jonathan Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10476185257203343474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-19094740351824149142019-10-17T17:05:10.917-04:002019-10-17T17:05:10.917-04:00Even though I am one of the commenters who posed t...Even though I am one of the commenters who posed the question, my ignorance is near total as well. In this story, the economic and societal collapse caused by Ebola would have been slow motion. Things collapsed over a timeframe of many months vs just a few weeks. <br /><br />So the National Guard units theoretically would have had time to transport their heavy weapons and themselves to the nearest Army base. And even though that Army base might be several states away, presumably a convoy of military transports protected by soldiers in armored humvees with machine guns should be able to make the trip unmolested. Theoretically.<br /><br />But what if the order to evacuate ordnance and munitions to the nearest Army base never came? Stranger things have happened. Or what if the order came, but most of the guardsmen decided to go home (or stay home) and protect their own families. Or what if the Army base was not letting anbody in, not even guardsmen, for fear of them bringing Ebola into the base?<br /><br />What if the National command authority was so decimated by Ebola that every military base and National Guard armory was making decisions more or less autonomously? Who knows what decisions might be made or not made concerning the disposition or relocating of various stockpiles of heavy weapons and munitions?<br /><br />Another thing to consider is that artillery pieces, mortars, and the munitions for them are all manufactured SOMEWHERE. Perhaps some of it is made right in Michigan. Rather than try to make large quantities of gunpowder from scratch, Dimitri and the other de facto leaders could see if any of it or at least the raw materials are made anywhere in Michigan. They might come up with a big fat zero. Or they might find truckloads of it not far away.<br /><br />George Truehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352709031834067303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-69496727403376421182019-10-17T14:57:40.638-04:002019-10-17T14:57:40.638-04:00Last I heard (3 decades ago) no man-portable weapo...Last I heard (3 decades ago) no man-portable weapons, ammo or munitions were being kept at armories. This was because of them being broken into in the 60s. I do have a person or two I can ask and see what goes on these days. I know the local arty units have no tubes on site when I pass by.The Freeholderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09989697995675652792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-22882735633180394912019-10-17T13:49:57.782-04:002019-10-17T13:49:57.782-04:00Don't underestimate the effect of poor decisio...Don't underestimate the effect of poor decision making by immature/inexperienced low ranking officers based on their indoctrination and desire to make their career bones.FredLewershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02221076803807309775noreply@blogger.com