What is it like on a battlefield?

Question

I have seen the movies and everything, but I would like to know for a better understanding of what our troops are going trough right now.

Wish I could put everyone's answer as a best answer.

Answer 1

it is very loud and very fast. everything happens at the same time. mostly you are too busy trying to do you job, drive, talk on the radio, shoot your weapon ect... to be scared. it is also very confusing and easy to miss small details that you are not focusing on.
an example would be if you are engaged and you are talking on the radio reporting the contact to the command post. your main focus would be the radio being on the correct channel, how many bad guys, how far are they away, what direction from you are they, and what weapons do they have.
because you focus is on such things you will probably not remember what day it is, you wont remember what you did that morning, you wont notice if there are any clouds in the sky, and when you lift your weapon to fire you wont remember if you chambered a round or not so you go ahead and do it, you wont notice if you bump you head or mash your finger or cut you arm and most unusual you wont notice that when you get wounded.
you go to move and there is great pain. then you look down and see you have been hurt. most times you will not be able to tell when it happened because you were very busy and everything happened so fast. you just didn't notice it until it hurt and it didn't hurt until you tried to move.
after everything is done the "tunnel vision" for lack of a better term goes away and everything is back to normal. it is at this time that those that get the shakes shiver a lot. after everything is calm for a while the shakes go away and there is not shivering.

what ever you do dont take anything that that sean x jackass said serious. if any questions about it refer to term jackass.

Answer 2

It really depends. In our age, the whole sleeping in trenches is no longer a factor. The ones who truly understand what it is in a combat zone are the ones in Combat Units, ie Tankers, Infatry, Scouts and so forth. They are usually the ones that do missions daily, stay in sector for day, provide escort for other units such as supply units and they are the ones conducting the raids and security of towns. There is a big difference of experiences in a combat zone from Tanker to Finance. Usually finance personel will stay within the FOB and do common duties of their jobs while Tankers will cross the gates and enter the world of combat.

Answer 3

first of all, battlefields are rarely fields. Most take place on the streets or in the brush. With that in mind there isnt much to see. Theres explosions, gunshots and the smell of burning flash and hair(smells like hotdogs).

Answer 4

Watch "Saving Pvt. Ryan" and "Full Metal Jacket". They are the closest thing I've seen to actual war conditions.

Answer 5

It depends.

Sometimes it is very calm and dispassionate. We do our jobs with all the calmness of a group of technicians working on a truck

Generally it is very _loud_.

One of the common things is that you are very busy and everything is over before you expect.

Answer 6

Grim, loud, dirty, often stinking, too cold or too hot....definitely NOT the glorious nonsense you see in the movies. Words are not enough to explain it. Count yourself lucky if you never know.

Answer 7

No man who has been there (including me) could possibly give you any understanding threw a description.

Answer 8

Visit a veteran's hospital and see if any of the wounded soldiers there will tell you about it.

Answer 9

Long stretches of boredom followed by stretches of unexpected terror

Answer 10

Enlist ur self, and find out! u may find out, if there is a draft!