Lords of Death Forums Lords of Death Forums LoD General Discussion Merchant captain freed after brief firefight

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090412/ap_on_re_af/piracy

So...rock on? The "pirate elders" weren't too keen on having their boys arrested, so talks broke down and now they're dead save one who surrendered. I'm curious to see how Clinton reacts or if she decides to take credit after talking about an international effort to remove piracy and not making a move without consulting the international community first.

Funny shit. When I saw the story that they had taken a ship flying a US flag I said to my wife, oh hell they fucked up now..

Panic, most likely. Apparently, it's a pretty swell gig if you can get it since most companies just pay the ransom and be done with it. They even have "ransom insurance" nowadays for merchant sailors in the area.

I mean, hell, the crew won back the ship unarmed against folks toting AK-47's and rocket propelled grenade launchers. I think seventeen boy scouts and a really smart ferret could do the same through a series of hilarious shenanigans.

The lifeboat was about 25-30 yards away and was being towed by the Bainbridge at the time, he said. The pirates had agreed to the tow to move the powerless lifeboat out of rough water.

A fourth pirate surrendered after boarding the Bainbridge earlier in the day and could face life in a U.S. prison. He had been seeking medical attention for a wound to his hand and was negotiating with U.S. officials on conditions for Phillips' release, military officials said.

Clinton won't "take credit" for something Navy SEALs did; she now has proof that the U.S. isn't screwing around and when Americans are in harm's way (and more importantly, U.S. shipping interests are threatened ) the pirates = dead. The idea that our government is going to leave the fate of Americans up to the "International Community" is ludicrous. Just because foreign policy is no longer being dictated by people who think we can attack everyone we have a beef with doesn't mean this administration is going to be soft when push comes to shove.

That said, am I the only sicko wanting to see the killcam from this "firefight"?

..to record and post one of our own service men's torture and death.

Dumb fucking idea.

Full story of kill..

(Associated Press) -- Ordered to shoot to kill, snipers on the swaying stern of the U.S. destroyer had one improbable chance to get it right. Anything less than direct hits killing three pirates with three bullets would have placed the American hostage, merchant Capt. Richard Phillips, in mortal danger, if not sealed his fate. Navy SEALs are trained for an improbable variety of tasks _ to dive deep, fight in the desert, parachute into the ocean, conduct urban warfare, operate in bitter cold, crawl through the jungle. They're trained to wait, too. This night, they had to find their moment, shrug off the pressure and shoot straight. "It was a day at the office for the SEALs, much like it's a day at the office for a heart surgeon or a concert violinist," said Dick Couch, a Vietnam-era SEAL and author of "The Warrior Elite," an inside look at the commandos' rigorous training program. The scene was set as darkness fell Sunday evening off the African coast: The last three pirates, holding Phillips in an enclosed lifeboat, appeared to be running out of patience with their predicament. Bobbing for days after their brazen attempt to seize Phillips' ship failed, their mood was "going up and down" like the ocean swells, according to U.S. accounts of the negotiations. A fourth pirate had surrendered, boarding the destroyer for treatment of an ice-pick wound from his scuffle with the crew of the merchant ship days earlier. The remaining three bandits and the U.S. Navy, like barroom brawlers agreeing to take it outside, had decided to move their standoff to calmer waters. This, after the Bainbridge had rammed the boat to keep it from getting too close to the Somali shore. As night fell, the Bainbridge had the lifeboat under tow when two developments told the Navy the pirates might be getting desperate, U.S. officials said in their reconstruction of events. First, a tracer bullet arced from the lifeboat toward the Bainbridge. Then, through one of the few openings on the lifeboat, Phillips could be seen with a gun pointed at him, almost touching him. The risk seemed obvious, but what about opportunity? Clean lines of fire that would leave the pirates' captive safe were hard to come by when taking aim at the bubble. Three Navy SEALs aboard the Bainbridge waited quietly in the darkness. The Navy, a force of more than 330,000, has just 2,000 SEALs, highly trained as stealthy rescuers _ and killers. They are called SEALs because they can fight by SEa, Air and Land. SEAL snipers are counted on for precision fire from concealed positions. They practice stalking, helicopter insertion, intelligence gathering and more. Their training manual instructs them on camouflage, navigation, evading dogs and a skill of special value when taking aim from a large ship at a small boat riding the waves: "Correcting for Environmental Factors." Officials declined to discuss the equipment used by the SEALs on the destroyer. But U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla., has purchased several thousand small, battery-operated night sights that magnify available moonlight and starlight to illuminate targets. The sights weigh a few pounds and clip onto rifles. "From 1,000 meters, you can tell if someone is raising their left or right hand," said C. Reed Knight Jr., president of Knight's Armament in Titusville, Fla., one of the few companies selling sights to the command. The SEALs in the Gulf of Aden standoff had parachuted into the ocean to join the destroyer. Now, Sunday night, they were 25 or so yards from their targets, waiting. Their mission, fraught with risk for the hostage, was one that SEAL snipers are trained to do, Couch said. The opportunity arrived. The three hostage-takers were observed with their heads and shoulders all exposed at once, said Vice Adm. William Gortney, commander of U.S. naval forces in the region. Three shots rang out from the SEALs. Three pirates were dead or rapidly dying. They were aged 17 to 19, officials said. Phillips was found safe, his hands bound. Back home in Burlington, Vt., Andrea Phillips sent the message to her husband that "your family is saving a chocolate Easter egg for you, unless your son eats it first."

well while i don't agree with hiding the reality that comes along with war, and warlord driven countries' happenings; my response was sarcastic.

i think it's fucking retarded to glamorize other peoples deaths as a "don't fuck with us" or watching someone get "owned RL". which is where my sarcasm came in (subtle i guess?). it's kind of a touchy subject for a lot of people (including myself) who have lost loved ones from violent and unnatural deaths. but i still consider the media to be complete bullshit when it comes to coverage on violent acts (war or otherwise).

we've seen people get beheaded by our enemies, we've seen newsreels from security cameras where criminals shoot clerks. it seems the media would rather rejoice with ribbons and complacency by showing firefights briefly from afar, than to dehumanize our troops in the same way as criminals and tyrants, by showing them graphically end the lives of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of soldiers.

we are the 'most free' country in the world - and how much military influence do middle and lower class (the vast majority of the country) have? comparing our silent (but safe) majority, to less fortunate countries populace who either comply or end up dead anyways; we don't have drafts anymore, our military consists of people who get benefits for being in the military, provide a comfortable life (materialistically, obviously the stress is great) for their families, and take pride in fighting for what's (hopefully) right. our enemies (since germany) would be so lucky to 'choose' to be in the military, as a 2nd 'spur of the moment' job when needed or to replace a headcount.

what's all this matter? someone suggested mediating the deaths of others. i think it's a great idea. the countries these things take place in, and places we wage/go to war, the laymen don't know anything about. all we see is those places at times of turmoil, 'crazy people' jumping up and down with AK's or laying in the mud malnourished and beaten.

imo it would put a little more impact on peoples lives concerning what our country as a military super power is doing and how. our guys getting tortured and killed is tragic of course, but it's reality. you can choose to not watch it, but it doesn't mean it didn't happen. one of the main contributing reasons the majority of our country is so apathetic is because we haven't had a major conflict on our own soil. another huge contribution to complacency and apathy we exhibit is due to the 'if it doesn't effect me, i don't care' clause. not seeing the grim truth is part of allowing it to not effect you. simply seeing a dot on the map, and statistics/numbers of casualties, followed by the faces of the soldiers who do make it home is a lot easier to swallow; but still bullshit.