# 3RCR at Ft Bliss



## tomahawk6 (18 Feb 2008)

McGREGOR RANGE, N.M. -- A mound of sand the size of a small loaf of bread blended into a McGregor Range road on Friday, looking to the untrained eye like every other wave and ridge along the well-trodden path.

As about 20 soldiers from the Third Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, marched by, boots landed on one side and then the other until one hit directly on it.

A loud bang came from the side of the road and a starburst of sparks shot into the sky.

In Afghanistan, where the soldiers are headed in September, there would have been casualties, said Sgt. Juan Santana, an instructor with the 5th Armored Brigade, 1st Army Division West, which runs the range's training operations. The simulated roadside bomb was what the Army calls a "victim-operated improvised explosive device."

About 3,000 Canadian soldiers with the 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group traveled to Fort Bliss and began a month-long training routine on Thursday. The Canadians transported about 500 pieces of equipment, including tanks and light armored vehicles, or LAVs, the rough equivalent of a U.S. Stryker vehicle and the Canadian Army's workhorse.

About 2,500 of those soldiers will deploy to Kandahar, where they will form small teams to embed with and train Afghan istan security forces. "IEDs are the biggest problem we have in Afghanistan," said Lt. Andrew Hennessy, the 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group spokesman. 

The bomb's trigger was fashioned from two hacksaw blades separated by thin pieces of wood at each end. Each blade is connected to one lead on a detonator, which is connected to a pipe bomb that would have been filled with explosives. The hacksaw blades were wrapped in a white plastic bag and buried in the sand. The weight of a human easily pushes the blades into contact, detonating the bomb.

On Friday, the soldier's misstep creates a harmless, but startling, bang. However, in the "after-action review," Santana points out that the unit's leadership was close enough to have been killed or injured by the explosion. He points out the importance of having a plan to regroup in such a case.

Maj. Alain Carrier, one of a group of Canadian instructors who also traveled to Fort Bliss, tells the soldiers not to get bunched up. "When there are more casualties, there is more work and less boots on the ground," he said.

Back home at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, in Ontario, Friday's temperature was minus-40 degrees. The base normally is blanketed by 3 or 4 feet of snow at this time of year, Hennessy said, and is in a heavily forested area.

"That's why we come down here," he said. "We can get the big pieces moving around."

Pvt. Mike Flood, a light armored vehicle driver, added another reason -- learning to drive in the sand. "It's a lot different," he said. "I normally have it in four-wheel drive, but to get through the deep sand, I had to put it in eight-wheel drive."

The Canadians are taking advantage of expansions on the Fort Bliss ranges in preparation for the arrival of thousands of 1st Armored Division soldiers as the division relocates from Germany. The training "lanes" have been lengthened, have been made more realistic and always are changing to mirror the ingenuity of coalition enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I stand up in the morning and I look at the mountains and I think I'm in Afghanistan," said Sgt. Maj. Brad Montgomery, a Canadian instructor. 

As the day progresses, the Canadians find their rhythm.

Down the road, in the distance, one soldier notices a 5-ton truck on the side of the road, and asks Santana, "Hey sergeant, is that vehicle in play?" Santana says it is, and the soldiers discover it is wired with artillery shells. They acquire it without detonating it.

"Good job, excellent execution," Santana said, adding that the soldier who first spotted it "was looking, not only in front of him, but out to the distance."

"What you just found is a diamond," Carrier said, explaining that a military forensics team can find evidence such as fingerprints that would help track down the bomb-makers. 

"Anytime you find an intact IED, it's like being the hunter instead of the hunted."

Chris Roberts may be reached at chrisr@elpasotimes.com; 546-6136.

Link to Pic's
http://gallery.elpasotimes.com/photoweek/photosUNIT/





A military vehicle from the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment makes its way through the IED course at McGregor Range Friday. Victor Calzada / El Paso Times.


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## geo (19 Feb 2008)

Ft Bliss.... an excellent training area.

With the US 1st Armd Div relocating there, hope it won't cause problems with our going down for a visit and a little bit of training prior to deploying.  TF 3/07 went from training in Valcartier to training in Ft Bliss followed by validation of training in WTC prior to deployment.

Although it woulda been nice to do everything @ home in Canada, the collaboration between Cdn & US forces has been outstanding.

A big thank you to our US friends.

CHIMO!


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## tomahawk6 (19 Feb 2008)

Congress hasnt provided the money yet for the units based in Germany [1AD and 1ID] to move to their new bases. It will be 2010 -11 , at least thats my estimate, before we see the 1 Armor and 1st Infantry at Bliss and Riley.Of course if the Democrats win the White House the units in germany that would have been moved might just be inactivated.


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## OldSolduer (19 Feb 2008)

Has anyone been to the NTC at Ft Irwin, California? Great place, high mountain desert, terrain similar to Afghanistan. 
Ft Polk, Louisiana the JRTC is a good area as well for light forces.


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## tomahawk6 (19 Feb 2008)

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Has anyone been to the NTC at Ft Irwin, California? Great place, high mountain desert, terrain similar to Afghanistan.
> Ft Polk, Louisiana the JRTC is a good area as well for light forces.



Terrible places to be assigned,suitable only for training.


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## tomahawk6 (29 Feb 2008)

Canadian army Pvt. William Burgess, of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, attempts to locate an enemy insurgent moments after dismounted soldiers in his unit were engaged during a convoy-training exercise at Fort Bliss, Texas, and McGregor Range, N.M., in preparation for a deployment to Afghanistan.





A convoy of Canadian army light armored vehicles negotiates an improvised explosive device-training lane during Exercise Southern Bear on Fort Bliss, Texas, and McGregor Range, N.M. Although the Canadians are conducting almost all the training in preparation for a deployment to Afghanistan, the U.S. Soldiers are leading the IED-defeat training.


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## vonGarvin (5 Mar 2008)

A pers pic from Ft. Bliss.  I have more and will post eventually.


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## tomahawk6 (5 Mar 2008)

Nice photo


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## Jarnhamar (6 Mar 2008)

Glad to see none of those soldiers wearing those evil desert boots!


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## Cloud Cover (6 Mar 2008)

Anybody see any rattlers down there   >


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## Mike Baker (6 Mar 2008)

Nice pic Rockpainter!


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## Mortar guy (6 Mar 2008)

Geo - Ft Bliss is a nice trg area!? It's big. I'll give you that. But so much of it is off limits due to environmental, archaeological and other reasons that it quickly becomes a small trg area. And on top of all that are the incredible Range Control restrictions that limited us even further.

Neat. It looks like Afghanistan. However, there's a reason our Army will never again spend $30 million to train in Ft Bliss. It just ain't worth it for the scenery.

MG


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## Jarnhamar (6 Mar 2008)

Mortar guy, most of that money I bet was spent on the rented armada of  SUVs.


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## Mortar guy (6 Mar 2008)

;D

I bet it looked that way but those rentals were only a small fraction of the cost. Rail/road movement, airlift and tent and equipment rentals ate up a big chuck of that $30 million.

IMHO they could have tacked 2 weeks onto Wainwright (7 total) and saved the taxpayer about $18 million while still giving us the training we need. But hey, there were pretty mountains!!

MG


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## McG (6 Mar 2008)

yet, it would take a lot of space heaters to simulate Kandahar temperatures in Wainwright.


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## Jarnhamar (6 Mar 2008)

I've heard we can't do live fire traces or whatever in Wainwright, is that true?

If so wouldn't it make sense to make out FTX in fort bliss (or somewhere similar) where we can both use live rounds AND simulate the desert environment?

Bliss reminded me a heck of a lot of Afghanistan. Wainwright reminds me of Petawawa.


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## George Wallace (6 Mar 2008)

Flawed Design said:
			
		

> I've heard we can't do live fire traces or whatever in Wainwright, is that true?



Must be something new.  We have done Live Fire Traces there.


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## dangerboy (6 Mar 2008)

Flawed Design said:
			
		

> I've heard we can't do live fire traces or whatever in Wainwright, is that true?


I don't know where that came from I templated a range in the Annex for the work-up training for TF 1-08 in the fall, so unless it has changed since Sept - Oct I think that it is just a myth.


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## Jarnhamar (6 Mar 2008)

Good I'm glad I'm wrong then.

Still though the environment doesn't exactly scream 'train as you fight'.


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## Mortar guy (6 Mar 2008)

Good point. We should do all our work up training at Tarnak Farms.


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## Jarnhamar (7 Mar 2008)

You disagree that soldiers heading to Afghanistan would benefit more from training (both physically and equipment wise) in an area with sand, snakes, sun,  similar altitude at 4000 feet above sea level, mock villages, and mountains over sending them to an environment that they are both accustomed too and will not be fighting in?

Me I found that the guys I was working with who have not deployed before learned a lot about their physical performance at higher altitudes, effects it had on weapons such as too much CLP on a rifle causing the dust to coagulate, vehicles needing the air filter cleaned more etc.. 

I realize you were being sarcastic, no I don't think we should train at the tarnak farms to "train as we fight" but I think the texas/new mexican desert is a much better _learning _enviroment than wainwright.


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## Mortar guy (7 Mar 2008)

Yes I was being sarcastic and yes I disagree that Fort Bliss equaled "training as we fight". I take it you weren't on the ex?

Sure the mountains looked a bit like Afghanistan from a distance (more like around Kabul than the more eroded mountains in Kandahar). However, the terrain had more vegetation and lacked the built up areas, canals, grape fields and roads that you'd see in Panjwayi/Zhari/Arghandab. Sure Ft Bliss is at 4,000 feet but we didn't notice any adverse effects on our soldiers and we were humping up the mountains for 10 days at a time. Fit soldiers are fit soldiers, regardless of the altitude. Sure it was dusty but none of my 83 soldiers needed to be told to put less CLP on their weapons as they all figured that out on their own. Oh and we only saw a handful of snakes and spiders as it was way too cold for most creepy crawlies.

Now, did we need to spend $30 million to find out that 4,000 feet has a slight impact on our PT and that dust jams weapons? I don't think so.

Furthermore, the FIBUA sites in Bliss were almost all junk (dilapidated one-room plywood buildings) and the live-fire was no better than what we could do and have done in Wainwright (talk to 1-08 guys about their ranges). Wainwright has much better OPFOR and CIB players as well as WES that go much further towards allowing us to train as we fight than dust and altitude. On top of that is the fact that US rge control restrictions severely limited what we could do and to me that all adds up to $30 million dollars wasted.

"Train as you fight" doesn't mean the superficial things like scenery, it means training with the enablers (CAS, arty, engrs, CIMIC, HUMINT, etc.) in a battlespace with all the complexities you'll see in Afghanistan. Dust and altitude are just a couple of those complexities and not the most important in my mind.

MG


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## geo (7 Mar 2008)

Using Ft Bliss permitted th 3/07 troops to train for the Afghan mission while Canadian alternatives were under a heap of snow.... 
WRT the quality of FIBUA and live fire facilities down in TX, with the relocation of the US 1st Armd div to Ft Bliss, I wager that the quality of facilities will improve considerably over the coming years.... though their availability to Cdn troops is another question.....

From a personal point of view, I have found that there are more restrictions on our own ranges than those I have used down south


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## Jarnhamar (7 Mar 2008)

Damn MG. Our guys have the PT down pat and the weapons cleaning in adverse conditions. We just have to cover don't get in firefights with each other with tasers and we'll be set 

If your guys didn't notice any difficulty with the altitude than that's awesome. I'm jealous, running around camp was rough. Same with humping up a few of the hills, I didn't spend 10 days doing it though. Most of our guys noticed it for sure.
Good points though I still stick by mine. Having trained for Afghanistan in wainwright on 0306 and then just doing this fort bliss ex I personally have to say that I got MUCH more out of going to Texas. That of course will probably vary with each soldiers position.

I guess that new non-shitty miles gear they have out west probably makes a world of difference too.
Texas DID seem like a huge operation for what amounted to a 4 day ex.


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## Franko (7 Mar 2008)

Flawed Design said:
			
		

> Texas DID seem like a huge operation for what amounted to a 4 day ex.



For some perhaps. The entire ex was designed around combat team live fire. If your unit didn't need to participate then I guess it was a 4 day ex.

For the majority that is not the case. Some of us only saw the camp when clearing in and after ENDEX was declared.

Regards


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## X-mo-1979 (7 Mar 2008)

I got there on the 22 of jan...
4 day ex my butt.


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## Yeoman (7 Mar 2008)

mortar guy; did your troops get a chance to use the 360 degree kill houses?
I know at least a few did. I want to say the battle group, but I don't know if N Coy did.
speaking of that; the heck is 2RCR doing?!? I didn't even know they were in Bliss, let alone going over till I got back from Bliss. *shrugs*
I found as a driver how to work with more then just the LAV's. The bisons, the RG's, the tanks, the other stuff. I've always powerpointed but never had done all that with everything allocated together at the same time. doing convoys with actual scenarios occuring. having to actually pratice towing vehicles around while 'under contact'
sure wasn't a four day ex to me. four days is probably all I spent in camp. okay maybe five or six.


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## brihard (7 Mar 2008)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

>



Hey, I remember that IED...


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## Jarnhamar (7 Mar 2008)

Poor choice of words  ;D


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## dan005e (7 Mar 2008)

Yeoman,

Re:2RCR

Golf Coy didnt go with the rest of 2RCR on 1-07.

Edit: took part of my answer off, might be OPSEC. Better safe then sorry i think, Yeoman check your PM's


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## geo (8 Mar 2008)

Mortarguy,
As I indicated, the TF3/07 had snow to contend with during their workup training.  I don't think Wainwright was available at the time we were looking to do it so, in some respect, Ft Bliss was one of our few options.

I know all about restrictive range control regulations - Canadian bases inpose volumes of restrictions ... some make sense, some don't.  WRT Ft Bliss, the arrival of a permanent US Armoured division on premisses should create an environment where reasonnable rules and regulations will be worked out - over time.


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## deedster (8 Mar 2008)

On behalf of limey11:
The best thing about Fort Bliss was no February in Canada!  ;D


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## Sythen (8 Mar 2008)

Wasn't like Feb in Canada, but still snowed on us in the mountains :/

Nothing like waking up for an OP and being near buried in the stuff...


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## PB (19 Mar 2008)

It was good training for the teams, they got a good taste of digging in the roads, as opposed tasks that would have been sitting on the top of frozen ground in Wayne, or maybe buried in the snow...


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## patt (24 Mar 2008)

anyone know what discovery channel was there for? noticed them a few times.


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## brihard (24 Mar 2008)

Xfire said:
			
		

> anyone know what discovery channel was there for? noticed them a few times.



I asked one of them. They were following around a platoon from Mike, if I recall correctly.

TDV was there as well, they're doing an episode on 33 brigade, and more specifically on those of us going on tour.


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## aesop081 (24 Mar 2008)

Xfire said:
			
		

> anyone know what discovery channel was there for?



Looking for guys who "aint nothing but mammals " ?


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## Yeoman (24 Mar 2008)

Xfire said:
			
		

> anyone know what discovery channel was there for? noticed them a few times.



yep, following one of the platoons around from Mike Coy. they'll be doing a show in a few months on us studs being studs............I think.
all I know is that, they've learnt to never to have a camera around me, heh.


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## RCR Grunt (24 Mar 2008)

Yeoman said:
			
		

> yep, following one of the platoons around from Mike Coy. they'll be doing a show in a few months on us studs being studs............I think.
> all I know is that, they've learnt to never to have a camera around me, heh.



LAVBORNE!!


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## vonGarvin (27 Mar 2008)

Just a random photo from Bliss


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## X-mo-1979 (27 Mar 2008)

Surprised my higher didnt see him up there and jack him up for wearing tan coloured kit.lol.

Cool pic.


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## vonGarvin (27 Mar 2008)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> Surprised my higher didnt see him up there and jack him up for wearing tan coloured kit.lol.
> 
> Cool pic.


Oh, the tans WERE noticed.  Along with the after market rigs, etc.  This is only my looking into a crystal ball, but I feel that the rockpainters of TF 3-08 may be more pragmatic when it comes to kit.  JUST MY OPINION.


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## riggermade (27 Mar 2008)

Yeoman said:
			
		

> yep, following one of the platoons around from Mike Coy. they'll be doing a show in a few months on us studs being studs............I think.
> all I know is that, they've learnt to never to have a camera around me, heh.



With a face lik eyours it wouldn't take them long to edit you out....hahaha


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## Panzer Grenadier (27 Mar 2008)

Mortarman Rockpainter said:
			
		

> Oh, the tans WERE noticed.  Along with the after market rigs, etc.  This is only my looking into a crystal ball, but I feel that the rockpainters of TF 3-08 may be more pragmatic when it comes to kit.  JUST MY OPINION.



Lets hope you are right.


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## OldSolduer (27 Mar 2008)

I've heard through the grapevine things will change.....be patient....there is help on the way.


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## brihard (27 Mar 2008)

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> I've heard through the grapevine things will change.....be patient....there is help on the way.



That's good, that's very good. Do keep us apprised if you're able.


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## OldSolduer (27 Mar 2008)

I think you will like it.


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## X-mo-1979 (28 Mar 2008)

Is it a puppy?


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## OldSolduer (28 Mar 2008)

Well it could be X-Mo......put it this way. It will be enlightening, refreshing and full of common sense.....


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## X-mo-1979 (28 Mar 2008)

Is it a magic Christmas tumor?


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## OldSolduer (28 Mar 2008)

No its not a tumor!!! Christmas poo...not that either....


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## Jammer (28 Mar 2008)

hehehehe...you said poo!


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## Yeoman (28 Mar 2008)

riggermade said:
			
		

> With a face lik eyours it wouldn't take them long to edit you out....hahaha



that's why they don't follow me around. that and I'm in the drivers hole and I refuse to get out when not necessary. I'm happy talking to my sock puppets and singing songs I make up on the spot thank you very much.


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## riggermade (28 Mar 2008)

Yeoman said:
			
		

> that's why they don't follow me around. that and I'm in the drivers hole and I refuse to get out when not necessary. I'm happy talking to my sock puppets and singing songs I make up on the spot thank you very much.



And that way they can't misquote you on anything


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## Yeoman (28 Mar 2008)

riggermade said:
			
		

> And that way they can't misquote you on anything



though they always seem to catch me when I'm doing my dances in between lav's


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## Panzer Grenadier (28 Mar 2008)

Yeoman said:
			
		

> though they always seem to catch me when I'm doing my dances in between lav's



Rain dance? River dance? Refreshment dance? come one tell us - we won't tell anyone.


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## Nfld Sapper (28 Mar 2008)

Yeoman said:
			
		

> though they always seem to catch me when I'm doing my dances in between lav's





			
				Panzer Grenadier said:
			
		

> Rain dance? River dance? Refreshment dance? come one tell us - we won't tell anyone.



pee dance    ;D


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## riggermade (28 Mar 2008)

I think he does the PeeWee Herman dance as well


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## vonGarvin (28 Mar 2008)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> Is it a magic Christmas tumor?


No, it's a malignant tumour, the base of which is lodged deep within your brain.

Like a happy special...

You're going to die

;D


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## X-mo-1979 (28 Mar 2008)

Finally....I was feeling alone there for a minute. ;D


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## Yeoman (29 Mar 2008)

Panzer Grenadier said:
			
		

> Rain dance? River dance? Refreshment dance? come one tell us - we won't tell anyone.



more of 'relieved to be back in camp' or 'get this convoy moving' dances


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## TN2IC (29 Mar 2008)

Yeoman said:
			
		

> more of 'relieved to be back in camp' or 'get this convoy moving' dances




I know those ones... it's like an Elvis dance...







Come on convoy.... this way... 


Or even this dance.....


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## armyvern (29 Mar 2008)

I'm preferring the

Punjabi remix


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## Fishbone Jones (29 Mar 2008)

This has been posted before, but for guys in uniform dancing, this one is great. Even being a leg I can understand it.

Jumpmaster Dance


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## TN2IC (29 Mar 2008)

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> I'm preferring the
> 
> Punjabi remix



Okay now you got me downloading Lehmber Hussainpuri...


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## NL_engineer (29 Mar 2008)

recceguy said:
			
		

> This has been posted before, but for guys in uniform dancing, this one is great. Even being a leg I can understand it.
> 
> Jumpmaster Dance



 :rofl:

I think thats the best one so far


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