The only thing to fear is fear itself, and that,
I remember watching one too many discovery channel specials on dating. That's funny. I also remember thinking that I was, genetically, a stud. But I'm short and that doesn't help anything. I remember in my highschool American History class my teacher talking about the Vietnam war and how short guys would have to go into the tunnels the VC made with a .45 and a flashlight. Naturally I got used as an example of short guy.
This summer I finished "Marine Sniper: 93 confirmed kills" during a trip to TX. Despite its gorry sounding title it was insightful and thought-provoking. Its the story of Carlos Hathcock and his two campaigns in Vietnam. To this day Hathcock holds the longest confirmed snipe, 2600 yards. But in the book it talks about a VC woman sniper that would torture US soldiers outside the firebase to demoralize the troops inside. She did bad things, really bad things. On a patrol after one night of hearing their commrad in severe pain US soldiers found a body tied to a tree with a basket on his head. The VC had tied a basket over the soldiers head then dumped in a lot of rats. All the patrol soldiers found was a basket with a hole where the rats chewed their way out and a skull.
So like the short US soldiers in "nam" I went chasing a dead smell last night under the house, known home of the flesh eating giant rat Bertha. Bigger than the pictured rat (of previous post) Bertha is the size of a cat, but with shorter legs and longer tail. Also instead of the issue .45 pistol I had the trusty .pitching wedge and flashlight combo. I'm pretty sure T. Roosevelt never thought of having to crawl under a house with a giant rat when he said his famous title line quote. I was afraid lastnight, and rightfully so. That's what I get for taking up another one of Philip's dares.
Paul "longest unconfirmed pw wack" Murphy
I remember watching one too many discovery channel specials on dating. That's funny. I also remember thinking that I was, genetically, a stud. But I'm short and that doesn't help anything. I remember in my highschool American History class my teacher talking about the Vietnam war and how short guys would have to go into the tunnels the VC made with a .45 and a flashlight. Naturally I got used as an example of short guy.
This summer I finished "Marine Sniper: 93 confirmed kills" during a trip to TX. Despite its gorry sounding title it was insightful and thought-provoking. Its the story of Carlos Hathcock and his two campaigns in Vietnam. To this day Hathcock holds the longest confirmed snipe, 2600 yards. But in the book it talks about a VC woman sniper that would torture US soldiers outside the firebase to demoralize the troops inside. She did bad things, really bad things. On a patrol after one night of hearing their commrad in severe pain US soldiers found a body tied to a tree with a basket on his head. The VC had tied a basket over the soldiers head then dumped in a lot of rats. All the patrol soldiers found was a basket with a hole where the rats chewed their way out and a skull.
So like the short US soldiers in "nam" I went chasing a dead smell last night under the house, known home of the flesh eating giant rat Bertha. Bigger than the pictured rat (of previous post) Bertha is the size of a cat, but with shorter legs and longer tail. Also instead of the issue .45 pistol I had the trusty .pitching wedge and flashlight combo. I'm pretty sure T. Roosevelt never thought of having to crawl under a house with a giant rat when he said his famous title line quote. I was afraid lastnight, and rightfully so. That's what I get for taking up another one of Philip's dares.
Paul "longest unconfirmed pw wack" Murphy
posted by Paul Murphy at
9:32 PM
7 Comments:
so what was causing the smell?
By
KStewDawg, at 11/03/2006 8:30 AM
So what happened? Did you find Bertha? Was there a confrontation? I'm sitting on the edge of my seat here…
By
Luke Dockery, at 11/03/2006 8:50 AM
One of my favorite books...I dont know how many times I have read Marine Sniper. Its...unbelievable. I am a huge fan. I hate to tell you this Paul, but his record was broken in 2002 with a kill of 2,657 yards (by a Canadian). Besides the fact that a kill from 2500 yards hitting the man in the neck is impossible for all but 2 people of +6 billion on this earth, Carlos Hathcock did it with an 8 power scope on a weapon that was used for close infantry contact: the Browning M2 .50 BMG (a 50 caliber machine gun). A MACHINE GUN; he just decided to mount a scope on this gun and sight it in for 2500 yards. No one thought about that before, because its a freakin machine gun...how can that snipe? Hathcock knew that the M2 had a slow enough action rate that the massive half-inch-in-diameter bullet could be sent screaming toward its target and still be accurate in exess of 2500 yards, so he put a scope on in and adapted it to kill VC with extreme prejudice a mile and a half away. In fact he developed most of what we do today in sniper warfare.
The kill at 2657 yards took place with a weapon system that was specifically designed by the military to do just that (instead of grabbing the nearest machine gun and putting an 8 power scope on it). Guess what round they used? you got it: 50 cal.
By the way...the reason he only had 93 confirmed kills was that he did the other 300 by himself and no one could confim it, sometimes he would spend weeks in the jungle and would be put on restricted duty by his superior officer so he wouldnt die from the elements of the jungle. He died from complications of his wounds he recieved during his last tour in Nam in Feb of 1998.
By
Anonymous, at 11/04/2006 11:36 AM
Corpral Furlong of the Canadian infantry also missed twice before hitting his taliban target. 1 out of 3 aint bad unless its any sort of test at all.
By
Philip, at 11/05/2006 1:17 AM
Paul, an uncle of mine gave me a book, DEAR MOM: A SNIPER'S VIETNAM. It's probably not as impressive as the one you're talking about, but pretty insightful nonetheless.
Philip, I bet you didn't know mickey mccabe flew that sniper crew back to Canada.
By
Anonymous, at 11/05/2006 9:16 PM
Hi Paul,
I was just cruising the information highway and came across your blog. It is fantastic. I am living in Pago as well. I am surprised that someone as adventrous and funny as yourself has been dateless for so long. You say you are short...do not worry, it could be worse, you could have red hair! Unless you are a midget of course...then it would be a tie...unless of course you are a midget red - that would be like a royal flush...a toureqs midget red with a lisp and club feet would be like an ace high straight flush. But even then, with such affliction would still at least get the odd sympathy date. So what is the real issue? Is it your personality?
By
Anonymous, at 11/05/2006 10:27 PM
somehow I'm still wondering about the smell.
By
Josh M, at 11/05/2006 10:28 PM
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