Here. Added to my list.

Okay, I gotta admit it. This guy's a little nuts.

As we drove in the median, the pebbles were kicking up and pounding at our feet through the fiberglass. My driver and I just looked at each other laughing out loud.

"What a piece of shit truck! You can feel the pebbles! Haha"

"Ha ha. Just drive dude! Go GO!"

"Hey look, Sir. Craters."

I looked in front of the truck. We drove over a few craters in the median where IEDs had previously gone off. I've even witnessed IEDs blow up in this median during patrols. We laughed our asses off as we drove over all of these craters. "Just go man!"

"Hey, we can call X-Ray and tell them this route is clear now. It doesn't get any better than this, in terms of clearing a route of IEDs."

The whole way home, we were laughing our asses off at how funny it was to be in that jalopy. And that is my whole point to this long convoluted story. The problem isn't the equipment, it's the attitude of soldiers. I gotta hand it to 1st Platoon. These soldiers have the highest morale. Even in less than ideal situations, they are always laughing and they always execute. You could tell these soldiers to clear a route on foot and they would do it.

Now I know what you're going to say. Blah blah something about having the right equipment and force protection for our soldiers. You want to know what force protection is?

DISCIPLINE. When you have discipline, everything else falls into place.

I'm disgusted by that convoy that refused orders in Baghdad. Give me a dune buggy. I'll deliver your groceries on Haifa street.

Just do your mission and shut up. It's not as bad as it seems on TV. Quit watching the news and actually come down here. And check your bad attitude at the door.

Check out the last picture in the slide show. I'll be getting to this day soon. Take THIS, sniper. You might be asking yourself why the heck I would fire a rocket into a building when I have my tank right there. In fact, why would I get OUT of my tank, while taking accurate enemy sniper fire, to shoot a rocket in the open when I have the most precise and lethal fire control system built into my tank?

Because shooting a rocket is cool. Also, I'm from Syracuse, not Albany. But I guess it's all the same to you Non-Upstaters.