Whats your real job?

[Traak]

I have lotsa faith. I hope. What I don't have is knowledge of how the white-bread-with-facial-hair look mitigates attack possibilities.

[Baneblade]

Iraqis aren't all that dark.

[Traak]

Maybe not. Just almost all of them that I've seen. I never saw one that was white, or had anything other than black or dark hair.

Basically, none of them were people I would look at and say "Wow, he's from Missouri." Unlike almost all the close protection guys.

[Hamma]

Why in the world is it that big of a deal to you

He said why they did it, and it quite obviously was effective and likely saved his life. Why not just take it at that?

[xmodum]

I understand the curiosity, it was something I was wondering for a while too, especially just being a national guard weekend warrior, I found myself asking how I ended up with something like that.

They chose Guardsmen for it, cause unlike most regular army, we know how to shut off and act civilian in an instant, we go to drill, do our army thing, then go home and be a civilian, where as regular army is army, 24/7.

And I was operating in Baghdad, and we did see even a few ginger Iraqi's, and a few whitey's. But yea, no matter what we look like foreigners, but they were targeting just everyone. Either their own government officials, which we don't look like, or regular US army. Which we didn't look like.

Some IED's did go off on one or two British convoys, but they are very obvious. Big targets. Another thing that helped us was we had no ECM's onboard our vehicles, no huge antennas, nothing like that. With pure black tinted windows, you wouldn't know who we are unless you got close enough to see who we were through the front window.

And unless we were in a FOB, we didn't get out of the vehicle. So pretty much they couldn't see us when we drove by, and if they did, all they'd see is civilian clothes and shit, no ACU's.

All the bullshit aside, about the whys and whats, it was pretty fun to tell regular army guys I'm Special Forces, and when they believe me, tell them I'm fuckin with them, and I'm actually National Guard. Always got them pissed haha.

[Firefly]

It's not about blending in. Something you will never understand until you get off your ass and learn about Arab societies and cultures (most of them tribal), having a beard is a sign of manliness. When we were in Afghanistan, we grew beards because only gay men and little boys didn't wear a beard. Even if you could only manage peach fuzz or a scraggly beard, you were counted as a man. So to gain their respect and trust, we wore beards.

Some Army general came along and told us to shave. We told him that if we did, we'd lose the war. It took a warlord telling him he wasn't a man for him to figure it out.

[Hamma]

Even though you put it so eloquently that nobody knows unless they "get off their ass"

What you just said = blending in

But I guess unless someone puts it exactly as you want it - it doesn't mean anything..

[xmodum]

That was another reason. Oh yes, I had lots of fun with my boyish looks in Iraq by the way, they loved me.

Having my thigh molested by an Iraqi and NOT being able to shoot him in the chest = Loads of fun.

[SuperMorto]

My sisters Ex was in Afgan, came back in one piece, thank god, many don't, I say good on all of you, I dont have the balls to do it, almost did, just never took the final steps.

I salute you sir

[Traak]

So, in short, you won't get taken for a *** and lose respect.

[Firefly]

Originally Posted by Traak

So, in short, you won't get taken for a *** and lose respect.

This is the third time I've seen you use the homophobic slur "***". Which is very Christian-like.

[Hamma]

Yea Traak seriously, let's not use that anymore mkay?

[MattxMosh]

Us **** prefer to be called light footed fruit baskets Traak.

And to stay on point, I run a tire shop. So I sell shit, fix shit, answer shit, unload shit, and yell at idiots.

[SuperMorto]

Originally Posted by MattxMosh

Us **** prefer to be called light footed fruit baskets Traak.

And to stay on point, I run a tire shop. So I sell shit, fix shit, answer shit, unload shit, and yell at idiots.

Sounds like a friend of mine, he has a motorbike shop

http://www.jamespricemotorcycles.co.uk/

Oh and btw I designed and built his website

[Traak]

Wow. Now I'm starting to get a clearer view of who inhabits these forums, and the online gaming world in general. I really had no idea.