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Yeah this is not a fun video but it is so real. To get such an authentic view of our military from actual, former, soldiers provides insight most people never realized existed. Thank you for commenting on this video and providing even further insight on the military, both its logic and its flaws.
For the record, I was in 94th BSB, and my company was attached to 2nd battalion, 4th infantry regiment (2-4 infantry). This incident happened in 2008. I don’t know what happened to the guy driving the Bradley, nor do I know what unit it was that he was from. This was one of many incidents that led to me becoming disillusioned with the military. Along with the blimp. That goddamned blimp. In regards to my MOS, 91F (formerly 45b) and fixing arty and chain guns; there used to be an mos for artillery and mortar repair. But due to budget reasons, they combined it with small arms repair. The same thing happened with the m242 chain gun on the Bradley. It used to be tank repair, but because the Bradley is usually in Cavalry units, and not in Armor units, they decided that it was better to assign the job to small arms repairman.
@A7K Oh man yea. I hope those guys never forget that shame of leaving a man behind like that. And a kid too. Fucking hell. After hearing something like that I don't think I'd look at convoys the same. I mean there's always the risk of you know getting shot in a war but the idea that the men on my own side would just straight up abandon me just feels me with such distress especially since I was a young kid wanting to join the military some years ago. Man am I glad my parents talked me out of it. I'd rather spend my time making a difference here in my neighborhood than shooting people I don't even know and have no strong feelings towards.
"The blimp" as in the blimp that cost like half a million US dollars of tax payers money that ended up being used to monitor the speed limit of vehicle's on the base?
The reason zack says the story angers and him and he doesnt wanna tell it and then immediately tells it Is because it's a compilation from the main series, mike just chops up all the relevant info really smoothly to make a cohesive story, I think the Bradley story is across like 2 episodes
I was deployed during this time in the area they were at. I heard about this story, and our command had to hold a 'Safety Stand Down Class' on the fuck ups this unit did, and what not to do. Theater Command crucified the gunner, chief and convoy commanders. Full Court Martials all around with Dishonorable Discharges and some prison time. I'll see if I can find the article that was posted about it in the Army Times. EDIT/ADDITION: I'm still looking, but it's like digging through a stack of papers a mile deep and unorganized as well. My unit's Safety Stand Down was in Late July 2009, so look earlier than that for the initial incident (maybe Feb 2009? Court Martials take a bit of time. I saw the Article commenting on the Court Martials in Mid-August. I can't remember their names or ranks for the most part. But I remember the Assistant Convoy commander was a SFC that got an extra charge due to falsifying his report (Saying the vehicle was destroyed/inoperable, and the driver was KIA and they couldn't recover the body (Which turned out to be false)). Only the Crew Chief, Assistant Convoy Commander and Convoy Commander got prison time. And of course, discharges all around. I'll keep looking, but if you want to help, there is the pertinent info that I have from an aging memory.
I hope that 19yo Bradley driver at least got the recognition of being one tough SOB. Four IEDs, a concussion, abandoned to die in a combat zone, and he STILL tries to relocate/rejoin his patrol unit despite his condition? If he ever recovers, I want someone that physically/mentally tough driving MY convoy vehicle.
You can find him in any large metro area yelling at the air, probably diagnosed with some life-ruining, temporary, stress-induced mental illness when he just needed somewhere to stay and somebody to talk to without being EOD'd.
This reminds me of a story my squad leader told us. When he was in Iraq during the surge, they were going out on patrol or something and while driving down the road they come across a soldier running down the road. Turns out, he had been pulling security on a corner where he wasn't in direct line of sight of the rest of his guys, when they decided to move out, no one grabbed him or realized that they were leaving him behind. After his squad or team leader hadn't come by to check on him in a while, he moved back to see what was going on and discovered he was alone. So he realized his best chance was to find the main road and run down it, hoping he ran into friendlies before the enemy did.
This one seems more like a genuine mistake than straight incompetency and stupidity compared to the Bradley story. Of course, that mistake is still far from excusable, and I hope they got their asses handed to them.
@@starhammer5247 I would call it imcompetence/ gross negligence if one is not realizing your squad mate is missing as you carry on to patrol enemy territory
@@ROBOHOLIC1 it's an IFV. It's not intended to be used like a MBT and it's not designed to be used as a patrol vehicle. Some of my comments have disappeared for some reason. The Bradley is designed to support its Infantry dismounts while its dismounts support it was well. The Bradley's best outcome are usually when it's used in conjunction with the Abrams like the battle of 73 eastings.
Theater command crucified the gunner, chief, and convoy commanders. Full court martials all the way around with "Discharge 5". The assistant convoy commander got an extra charge due to falsifying his report. Saying the vehicle was destroyed/inoperable, and the driver was KIA. And it was to dangerous to recover the body. Which as Zach knows, turned out to be false. The Convoy Commander, assistant Convoy Commander, and crew chief, and gunner got "discharge 5", and prison time. Many thanks to Vicius and Disgruntled Devilin for finding the report
Honestly that bradley story had me furious, especially as an ex-tc. Not even counting just how despicable that is, you're essentially crippling your IFV to the point that it becomes a very shiny half blind battletaxi.
It's understandable why this tale is so triggering for you. I think that's why Mike added the glove story onto the end, to try and balance it a little. I believe this is the darkest of the campfire tales, the others shouldn't be as triggering as this. Thank you for pushing through it though. Your take on it was fascinating to hear. :)
@@dragonwithamonocle Yeah, he had a funny interaction when he got on a safe spot and he made it funny to hear, and glad that he came out alive. This one has no silcer liing or funny interaction to remember from it, it was just bad leadership and lack of care for subordinates and team mates.
The Bradley one at least the kid didn't die. The Seatbelt story actually had the officer kill someone in a horrible way with their demands for protocol.
I think that having bad leaders and KNOWING you're commanded (and obligated to obey) people you don't trust to be competent is probably a huge factor for PTSD. Imagine being in an active combat area. Imagine being there at the beck and call of people who you wouldn't trust to tie your shoe laces if you met them at the mall. Imagine getting into difficult situations that you suspect might've been less difficult and dangerous if someone else had been in command.
One of the reasons I love Paul - he served as an officer and is a calm and reasonable guy that gives me hope that attrition hasn’t led to a total Rupertization of the larger chains-of-command; if not inspiring confidence in the upper leadership, but… nothing is perfect, I guess.
@@sirstone if the ‘system’ won’t allow for evolution of more effective tactics… I guess there’s a good reason it tends to be underreported. Ultimately means you’re at least one man short though, so… desperate measures and all that.
@@paulpolito2001 military leadership is incompetent at best. I had a stand in Company Commander at one point in time who had a history of leading tracked units and actually commanded Bradley's to drive through Constantine wire and *surprised pikachu face* when the Brad popped a track. When the vehicles are used properly in conjunction with other appropriate vehicles they work better. The Bradley is generally better when used in conjunction with Armor (Abrahms)
As not fun as this story is to listen to, I think it's really important in getting context for the rest if Zach's stories. Obviously not all of the military is like this, but knowing that this was the part of the military he was in and had to see every day can really help understand where he comes from in the other stories. Beyond just him seeming like he simply dislikes the military/army.
Oh I agree entirely listening to him kinda just threw off the star spangled awesome I use to think about the military and started looking at it more humanly
@@anarchomando7707 losing nationalism is both good and bad. A super nationalist soldier is going to be a better soldier, but a less nationalist small arms repairman can make things run better, because he will take less shit.
@@anarchomando7707 wel thank you , I still love my country but now I’m just kinda disappointed in the “free world”and the hypocrisy because I know we can make the world a magnificent place….but that’s just me rambling now
@@zeallust8542better soldiers? More obedient sure I'll give you that but better? No Nationalism as the definition of implies Is that one so nation is above all others and must be protected at *any cost* That leaves no room for questioning your own Nation(or her own indeed her officers) (And the officers are not questioning their leader, creating a horrible line of goose stepping to the bottom line) it's only blind loyalty (Not to be confused with patriotism, which is respect for one's Nation but recognizing the the warts and all, wanting to do better for it by changing it to a better place) *Nationalism* has always fueled the many atrocities of 20th century and before (and 21st) and imperialistic power s Imperial Japan(Nanking , her atrocities in Korea and china) Fascist Italy, Franco Spain (See below for Germany) Colonial Spain, France, Belgium(that's a whole other rant) UK see below Imperial Russia, America, austro-hungry, Britain , Germany france (see world war I)(who's bright idea was it was to sit in a trench and constantly throw soldiers at each others in a deadly game of Red Rover) Nazis Germany(see Holocaust ) Colonial Germany (every tool in the Holocaust from the concentration camp to the rhetoric was refined in their war in Africa heck even Görings own father what's a general there and subjugated they're native people Killing *half* the Namibia population killings-which occurred through battle; through starvation and thirst in the Omaheke Desert; and through forced labor, malnutrition, sexual violence, medical experiments and disease in concentration camps-was to rid the colony of people viewed as expendable and thus gain access to their land.)(exactly what Germany did to Europe in the second world war) Portuguese and Brazil Belgium (and her atrocity in the Congo) America and the Philippines America and the history of slavery(which the Nazis later stole, through rhetoric ) American And eugenics American and native American history (from sea to shining sea, and no more "Redman") Britain, (the Sun never sets on the English empire, subjugation from India and china to all of her colonies)(would see she later used as Cannon fodder(one of the major reasons for the box of war in China, to it going red, To why india India started to cut herself from the imperialism of Britain)(one of the only reasons the pyramids of Egypt are still there is because they're too big to transport backto The British Isle,) Canadian and their indigenous history (so far as equating the Inuit people to the Irish!) I could go on forever (You, sir did not ramble, you made a statement) But my point here is this"nationalism" Is nothing but a tool for blind loyalty, in the soldier and the populace One that the aristocratic and ruling powers used to exploit the minorities of many nations, destroying their history, language and culture I'm a history buff I study atrocities as a way to prevalent more
When Zach started talking aboug Bradley and our Veteran here was like "Oh no... I think they mean clear the gun of a wrecked Bradley." my thoughts were "That would probably be morally better than what actually happened."
Everytime he stops the video to explain why someone would do what the people in these stories are doing I just keep going, "Oh no, he's about to be really upset at the guys he's defending in a second."
I've always thought that if I were in the military and I were in combat, the only thing preventing me from running away would be the thought of, "How could I live with myself abandoning someone?" It saddens me and angers me that an entire convoy thought that they could live with themselves abandoning a kid.
I don't know why, but it just so satisfying to me when he pauses the video, says "oh, it's probably this or that!" and then the video goes "So why is that, ZaNk?" "Because this and that, Mike...".
I mean anyone who play Fallout games get mikeburnfire video recommend to them once, especially the New Vegas "multiplayer" videos, but they are still not as popular But they came to popularity with Zach gun rant complications being recommended to people who either play fallout or interested in Millitary stuff, especially gun
@@yinakiyama Honestly they do it surprises me that they're not as popular. but that's probably because they don't abuse the algorithm by # every word to exist.
I'm glad that Mike and Zach talk about the really bad parts of their military career like this, because that anger and sadness is empathy and it brings us to connect to their history. The silly stories and the frustrating stories flesh out the world I am not a part of better in my mind because of how Zach builds up the horror of being in the driver's shoes, and then having that contrast to Mike becoming a hands on plumber.
I think this is probably the saddest/darkest camp fire they've done. The rest are usually humorous in some way, but like someone has already said, this one is rather important to show why he has such a dislike towards the military. Which is valid in my eyes. Especially growing up in a military household where both my parents took part in the actions in the middle east. Just, extremely understandable I guess sums it up.
To your point about not believing in leadership specifically in grocery stores, you are 100% correct. We work hard for each other and say fuck it to the customers and the managers. The only good thing about working 48 hours a week since the pandemic started is that we have each other's backs.
Ngl, the Bradley story brought back some unpleasant memories about working in a Sonic with no ventilation and asthma. There is a big demand for leadership but very little supply.
OIF1, our BDE Commander "Hey, no one is shooting at me in my Bradley. I'm taking out my HUMVEE." Good people got run through a shredder because this Colonel wanted to be a fucking cowboy.
We're just expendable to the us government. Hell they purposefully infected Americans with syphilis just so they could study the effects of the disease.
@@williethenerfherder2193 yeah there are multiple instances of us soldiers being experimented on and what do they get after the war for there service? A wife who either left them or cheated on them they become homeless and they snap killing or hurting themselves or others due to not get psychological help
@@williethenerfherder2193 here’s also a quote for a former us Secretary of State "Military men are just dumb stupid animals, to be used as pawns in foreign policy." - Henry Kissinger
I can't help thinking you took a nap after this. After you got through the Bradley story your demeanor changed from oh boy here we go again to dear, god this caffeine isn't doing jack diddly I just mite need that cigarette after all. Love the videos, thanks for rolling with punches on this one. For your next MikeBurnFire try Challenge Coins/Blue Falcons it has some funny stories in that one.
Watching your face during their stories reminds me of the meme: man who thought he'd lost all hope loses last additional bit of hope he didn't even know he had
I think the best part about finding your channel and seeing these reactions/explained, is that your slowly beginning to understand why zach as a person has so much hate for the military. from his own experience that we hear from the campfire stroies and in their fallout Lp's, it gives a really good perspective on a just how someone can have the worst time with their leadership and come out so dejected from the military.
Thinking back to the time where I was at a crossroads in life, picking the Army or learning to weld. Wouldn't trade my welding mask for a helmet ever, hearing these stories reinforce that.
I feel that's a terrible way of thinking about it. If it came down to it I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a gun to stop someone from killing my family. I have my doubts about my country, but there are people here I care about.
@@enderren8092 I think a lot of people agree with that, but nothing since WWII has really felt like protecting the nation. Nam, Korea, every single thing in the middle east- if we ignored each of them, the world would look about the same as it does now- only with less dead service men... You could argue it's "keeping up the shield"- preventing wars by being so strong and imposing. I'd agree with that, but I just wish grunts didn't have to go through so much abuse for that.
23:10 this is why amazon is both so fascinating and terrifying to me the fact that it is able to operate at such a scale is almost as daunting as their lack of bathroom breaks
This is by far the worst story Zach has told. Even the one where he gets carbon monoxide poisoning isn't as bad. But you should definitely check out his gun rants, they're actually hilarious and form most of the lighthearted and funny side of the channel.
Yeah! It's finally happening again! Love these, being someone who can not personally relate to these stories it's awesome to see someone who can relate more than I can.
Thank you for mentioning grocery store workers. I remember the first month of this pandemic very well. The constant 6-day work weeks, lines that stretched across the store, and the stress caused by the mad dash for supplies.
And everyone yelling at you like it was your fault as supplies were either gone or only limited items for *EVERYONE* but people actually started stealing, fighting, and even had one held up at gun point for 6 rolls of toilet paper. People really do panic, and we’re the ones that not only witness it, but had yo deal with it. Especially when leadership wasn’t there, bailed out because they couldn’t handle it.
@@liamgriffin218 plus with the recent news the tallies are destroying all that good gear and vehicles, that stuff aint worth shit if you don't got logistics
Yep, Zach and Mike don’t try to be funny all the time. They are normally because of their personalities. Mike not taking stuff seriously and almost irreverently, while Zach is sarcastic and Ironic.
That last story was thrown in to cushion how bad that first one was. You know? Ending things on a lighter note after how dark the previous stories were.
Dude, that shit you said in the video that isolation can make a man brittle is so relatable. I deal with loneliness all the fucking time, it's the most despairing part of my life and would never wish it on my worst enemy.
The blimp story reminds me of the time while I was in Afghanistan in 2009 (I was with 1 Battalion 5th Marine regiment Weapons company 81 platoon) Master Sargent used the G boss (powerful camera stuck on top of a tower) to look to at is in our patrol base to see if we had fresh hair cuts. Mind you we part of the surge so we in middle of nowhere with not even a generator. So that was fun.
Even as somebody with no military background, the bit about this sounded unfortunately familiar: (paraphrasing) "If your leadership doesn't have your back, there's nothing that can redeem that." "If you know your leadership doesn't value you, the only way to save your self-respect is to leave that organization." Honestly that sounded like most of the jobs I've had, and most of the jobs that have been held by most of the people I know. The attitude of people in positions of leadership toward their subordinates in this country is abysmal. It's like an epidemic of awful leadership and lack of respect. IDK if it's like that in the rest of the world, but it honestly seems like the United States in particular is really horrible about this. I mean, if it's like that in both the military and private industry, then that's basically what most American work culture has become. It's horrible that this seems to have become the norm, here.
The Bradley story was one of those stories that stuck with me long after I forgot many of his other stories. It shows how the military can really be sometimes, and it's great to get another veteran's take on a story like this.
Out of curiosity, is the US Army (and other parts?) still running that insane "Up or out" thing with their officers? Because that is one of the most insane ideas i ever heard of. And not just the "not get in trouble" thing, but that they might be promoting people out of their skill level. That story about the 18th or 19th century British Commander that got the epitaph "Brilliant Lieutenant, passable Captain, disastrous Colonel" comes to mind. (Can't remember his name though.)
Up or Out is still one tool used by entire US Military to maintain numbers. Putting limit on number of years of service for each rank is regular course of doing business.
@@dudejo Sadly the military has just become another group of politicians stepping on the people below them. The top brass could not give less of a shit what happens to anything so long as they stay on top.
We still do up or out, and show no signs of stopping. I feel the same way as you, but you must also acknowledge that many branches have a serious dearth of candidates for senior leadership. We commission most officers with the expectation that they'll make Captain/Colonel or even Admiral/General one day. Most don't, but the military's general goal is to shove as many junior leaders through as possible and hope enough retain on the other side, because the alternative is that those positions simply don't get filled.
Hey man, thanks for going through this video despite the story being upsetting. But there is probably a lesson to be learned in all that, and your insights are as always interesting to hear. I think it also helps to highlight why Zach has a dislike for the military.
Youre definitely right about the isolation thing, its way easier to get traumatized when youre isolated. Especially when youre used to having a team to support you.
34:14 From what I understand, this sort of behavior lead to the downfall of the Assyrian Empire. They were well known in their time for being unbelievably bloodthirsty, and their warriors were so ferocious that they drove fear into the hearts of all their neighbors. They waged many wars and took lots of slaves, but in each battle their most fervent troops would die, being driven by their culture and reputation to take the most risks. All the soldiers who were cautious or cowardly ended up surviving all the battles. Thus, when the Empire had pushed too far and started wars on too many fronts, none of their competent warriors were left to defend them, and they were absolutely smushed by the Medes.
I hope that Bradley driver is doing alright these days. Hoping the opposite for the commander. Just like the glove story at the end though, it's good to know that although there's some god awful military leaders out there like the commander in the Bradley, there's also some that genuinely care about their troops and their safety.
Combat Veteran: I bet its the wreckage of a Bradley..... Me: o you have no idea..... 10 mins later Combat Vet is visibly pissed off, and now knows why this story makes Zach very angry talking about it
Leaving soldiers behind is sadly not exclusive to American military forces during the worst periods of the desert sandbox experience. Old associate of mine from Belgium dropped out of middle school and got sent to Chechnya during the second Chechen war as a merc through a contact he refused to elaborate on because what else are you going to do. The weirdest stories included burning himself when the wind picked up the flames from his molotov after throwing it on top of the tank to cook the crew out, resulting in hideous burns. Doing controlled demolition of enemy ammunition, and accidentally lighting two kids on fire that were hiding amongst the ammo crates, and playing Russian roulette with a six shooter and five bullets during downtime. The worst one was when he was fighting on the ground, and he got shot by friendlies. He wakes up after they've left the area, picks a direction, and starts walking. On the way, a grenade explodes not far from his position, which results in shrapnel popping his right eye. He miraculously stumbles towards a Russian FOB, who starts shouting about a zombie approaching the base. Dude gets checked in, goes to the bathroom, and only then does he realize a string of eyeball goop is dangling from the socket. War is hell. The bright side is that he worked privately as hired muscle for VIP's in Japan last I talked to him back in 2019.
i can’t understand what it’s like to go through what you, mike or zach have been through since i’m not military personnel, but i really do appreciate the compassionate angle you went through during this video, i really appreciate the perspective you provide in these stories. i hope you’re alright after that, i know how it feels to be triggered by something..
Hey Paul, got a question. Would the driver file, like, a report or something against his commander/vehicle commander? Or would he just be pulled in for a debrief after getting some medical attention and the higher ups would decide whether or not to do something with the info? Would the base MPs get involved in that case or?
In a perfect world, this wouldn't have gone unnoticed and heads would have rolled. If it was a brush under the rug event, I know the Army has a way of addressing concerns. In the Navy/Marines we have "Request Mast" that is a request to address a concern directly to your commanding officer. If it's not resolved, you can request mast to the CO above him and keep going until it's resolved. But the world is the world and even something like that may not work.
"Why should I remain loyal to a company that has not been loyal to me?" That's the question that I kept asking myself before quitting my job of the previous decade to work elsewhere a couple months ago. I enjoyed the work, but the people in charge made it clear that they only cared about getting new employees instead of keeping the ones they had.
"You know, I love a good campfire but uh, "Mikefireburn", every time, their campfires just keep getting weirder, and weirder, and weirder." My friend, you have no idea.
I am currently a 91F small arms repairer. The US Army is qualification of "small arms" is bizarre. Handgun, infantry rifle, designated marksman's rifle, sniper rifle, squad automatic weapon, infantry machine gun, 12 shotgun, grenade launcher, 50 cal machine gun, grenade machine gun, 60 mm mortar, 81 mm mortar, 120 mm mortar, m242 chain gun, 105 mm howitzer, and 155 mm howitzer are all under small arms. The 7.62mm chambered m134 not small arms for some reason. Basically anything from 5.56 mm to 155 mm that is not a rocket launcher and not a multi-barreled rotary gun is small arms.
Hey, man, I still recommend you check out Syrmor and his "guy in vrchat talks about being a soldier for hire" video. And others. They are... Quite interesting. Sometimes upsetting, but he finds really interesting people to interview.
My dad was a Commander during the Cold War. That was what happened to him was, "get promoted or else" well, he wasn't able to get promoted to Major 3 times in a row, and always because the same person denied him each time, he had to retire from the Army for not getting promoted to Major..
I get you dont like hearing about stuff like the Bradley incident but at the same time we did kinda warn you it was probably going to piss you off. But please react to the challenge coins Mikeburnfire story that one is Fort Polk related but it has a moment Zach is particularly proud of himself for while there
16:10: I'm not a big fan of reaction channels (don't ask why I watch them anyways), but I was surprised by his knowledge and insight on surveys, statistics, and even mental health associated with trauma and PTSD.
I really think that having friends in the darkest parts of your life will make it so much more survivable! It’s important to reach out, not only for help but to help someone else. Even if they aren’t entirely receptive the fact that someone cares enough to KEEP reaching out to them can make their struggles leagues easier to deal with.
Also a combat vet, 2012 OEF Afghanistan. The moment I heard about the TC and gunner dipping out I was furious. Toxic leadership needs to get steppin'. If you can't back the simple phrase "I won't leave anyone behind" then get out. Not hard to blow the truck and leave it behind if actually needed. Truck can be written off with probably a good ass chewing, lose a truck AND the driver? Lots of questions are going to be asked. Hard ones. TC and gunner are the epitome of *THAT GUY*
I was in an artillery unit back in 2000 pre 9/11, we had a captain that was less than stellar. If it took a millimeter of effort to praise the troops and increase morale versus a meter of effort to berate the troops and destroy morale he would do ten kilometers of effort to destroy morale "to get the point across". That unit, we had a troop whose house burned down while we were at AT in Fort Drum, everything was in his name. Captain refused to let the troop speak to the JAG and get something started on fixing the issue at home because "dUriNg CoMbAt wE wOuLdN'T bE AbLe tO". My stepdaughter died in a car accident, I got told "your daughter is in fact alive and even if she wasn't suck it up and drive on, sge didn't mean anything to you anyway." So I ended up going inactive immediately prior to 9/11. I felt like I was letting my brothers in artillery down. But it was either that or take a ride to Leavenworth because of how pissed I was.
This was really awesome to see. I appreciate you sharing your perspective, especially considering the emotionally trying nature of the stories. There's a video by Jacob Geller called "Does Call of Duty Believe in Anything?" that examines some of the messaging and undertones of the most recent Modern Warfare game. I'd be very curious to hear your take on it, if you're interested, as someone who has potentially experienced some of the things they're depicting first hand.
In the bradley you got to give the kid credit for not panicking and driving off into the unknown or leaving the tank. He must have collected him and done the logical thing.
In this video we see the face of man grappling with absolute anger and conflict of emotions across his face. Yeah, hard video, thanks for giving us more context to it all.
Please react to more of their videos. I promise the rest are not nearly as dark or depressing. I recommend the zachs gun rants videos. Zach has an amazing level of knowledge regarding firearms. I promise you’ll enjoy it. Something a little more lighthearted to un-trigger you. Edit: 37:45 I’m guessing you’ve at the very least heard something of sun tzu, so this quote might not be new to you, but something about what you said here reminded me of that quote, “regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”
I've never seen this channel before. I'm glad that you didn't call Zach a liar, and I could see the pain on your face in some parts. I really enjoyed seeing this, and hearing about the environment surrounding this story, but I'm incredibly heartbroken that this really was the situation in Iraq at the time.
I dare say that 4 IEDs followed by company abandonment and an untreated head injury on your first time outside the wire in Iraq at 19 years old makes for some pretty fucking strong PTSD. I hope whoever was in charge of that convoy got the shit kicked out of them later
![CAMPปลิ้น | รวม Highlight 2024! PART [1/2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6hnvNnvYloU/mqdefault.jpg)
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I'm so happy you reviewed this video of utter negligence and cowardice
Yeah this is not a fun video but it is so real. To get such an authentic view of our military from actual, former, soldiers provides insight most people never realized existed.
Thank you for commenting on this video and providing even further insight on the military, both its logic and its flaws.
My dad was military but never had to fight since he was a supply sergeant
Oh nice. Id love to watch a podcast with you in it, ill check it out man
Send me a message on here if you’d like to have me on your podcast.
For the record, I was in 94th BSB, and my company was attached to 2nd battalion, 4th infantry regiment (2-4 infantry). This incident happened in 2008. I don’t know what happened to the guy driving the Bradley, nor do I know what unit it was that he was from.
This was one of many incidents that led to me becoming disillusioned with the military. Along with the blimp. That goddamned blimp.
In regards to my MOS, 91F (formerly 45b) and fixing arty and chain guns; there used to be an mos for artillery and mortar repair. But due to budget reasons, they combined it with small arms repair. The same thing happened with the m242 chain gun on the Bradley. It used to be tank repair, but because the Bradley is usually in Cavalry units, and not in Armor units, they decided that it was better to assign the job to small arms repairman.
Hi .
Hi Zach! I too am a Zach
So f'd glad that kid made it out. What a shit show.
@A7K
Oh man yea. I hope those guys never forget that shame of leaving a man behind like that. And a kid too. Fucking hell. After hearing something like that I don't think I'd look at convoys the same. I mean there's always the risk of you know getting shot in a war but the idea that the men on my own side would just straight up abandon me just feels me with such distress especially since I was a young kid wanting to join the military some years ago. Man am I glad my parents talked me out of it. I'd rather spend my time making a difference here in my neighborhood than shooting people I don't even know and have no strong feelings towards.
"The blimp" as in the blimp that cost like half a million US dollars of tax payers money that ended up being used to monitor the speed limit of vehicle's on the base?
The reason zack says the story angers and him and he doesnt wanna tell it and then immediately tells it Is because it's a compilation from the main series, mike just chops up all the relevant info really smoothly to make a cohesive story, I think the Bradley story is across like 2 episodes
Mike is such a good editor, I never would have guessed
Wait so the Campfire stories aren't just videos they make where they sit down and talk? Damn, it's so seamless
@@SaltDoesArt yep, he is great at this. A lot of the stories they tell happen between events in the game and a lot of random events happen to them.
@@TheDiazDarkness I think its a bit of both. It could be times where Mike has captured something Zach has said and edits it later.
@@SaltDoesArt I think some of them are and some aren't
I was deployed during this time in the area they were at. I heard about this story, and our command had to hold a 'Safety Stand Down Class' on the fuck ups this unit did, and what not to do. Theater Command crucified the gunner, chief and convoy commanders. Full Court Martials all around with Dishonorable Discharges and some prison time. I'll see if I can find the article that was posted about it in the Army Times. EDIT/ADDITION: I'm still looking, but it's like digging through a stack of papers a mile deep and unorganized as well. My unit's Safety Stand Down was in Late July 2009, so look earlier than that for the initial incident (maybe Feb 2009? Court Martials take a bit of time. I saw the Article commenting on the Court Martials in Mid-August. I can't remember their names or ranks for the most part. But I remember the Assistant Convoy commander was a SFC that got an extra charge due to falsifying his report (Saying the vehicle was destroyed/inoperable, and the driver was KIA and they couldn't recover the body (Which turned out to be false)). Only the Crew Chief, Assistant Convoy Commander and Convoy Commander got prison time. And of course, discharges all around. I'll keep looking, but if you want to help, there is the pertinent info that I have from an aging memory.
Holy Shit- Really? I hope Zach and Paul see this. Glad they got what was coming to them.
Good to hear. Fuck those guys!
Thank god
Commenting so I can get notified when/if this article is found
@@NobodyInParticular45 imma just get in here for the same reason
Having already watched the original vid when Paul was giving his theories on the Bradley I was just like "no, it's worse"
It was sooooo much worse
at 11:30 i was like oh god you think them leaving the bradly is bad leadership shiiiiiit you aint seen nothing yet
"I could be wrong..."
Yuuuup
In immortal words of Joe Kassabian:
"Wait! It gets worse!"
(Lions Led By Donkeys podcast)
Same
I hope that 19yo Bradley driver at least got the recognition of being one tough SOB. Four IEDs, a concussion, abandoned to die in a combat zone, and he STILL tries to relocate/rejoin his patrol unit despite his condition? If he ever recovers, I want someone that physically/mentally tough driving MY convoy vehicle.
You can find him in any large metro area yelling at the air, probably diagnosed with some life-ruining, temporary, stress-induced mental illness when he just needed somewhere to stay and somebody to talk to without being EOD'd.
This happened in 2008 I believe.
oh yeah hates off to him
Yeah this fucker needs ALL the free rounds of his favorite drink
@@AlphaWolf789 I know I am kinda late, and sorry to be that guy but...
*Hats
This reminds me of a story my squad leader told us.
When he was in Iraq during the surge, they were going out on patrol or something and while driving down the road they come across a soldier running down the road. Turns out, he had been pulling security on a corner where he wasn't in direct line of sight of the rest of his guys, when they decided to move out, no one grabbed him or realized that they were leaving him behind. After his squad or team leader hadn't come by to check on him in a while, he moved back to see what was going on and discovered he was alone. So he realized his best chance was to find the main road and run down it, hoping he ran into friendlies before the enemy did.
Jesus christ, what happened to the guy, did your SL know how long he was running for?
@@chackmete9942 Well they of course picked him up, but I don't remember if he said anything about how far the guy had been running.
This one seems more like a genuine mistake than straight incompetency and stupidity compared to the Bradley story. Of course, that mistake is still far from excusable, and I hope they got their asses handed to them.
@@starhammer5247 I would call it imcompetence/ gross negligence if one is not realizing your squad mate is missing as you carry on to patrol enemy territory
@@keithsinter5611 I believe Negligence is more fitting in this case.
As soon as I noticed that almost naive hope at the beginning of the Bradley story I audibly went "Aw fuck, this is going to be bad..."
lmao same. just waiting for him to hear what actually happened
Have yet to hear *anyone* say *anything* positive about the Bradley, tbqh
@@paulpolito2001 as a bradley dismount it's not as bad as everyone claims it to be as long as you use the vehicle for it's intended purpose.
@@sirstone which is?
@@ROBOHOLIC1 it's an IFV. It's not intended to be used like a MBT and it's not designed to be used as a patrol vehicle. Some of my comments have disappeared for some reason. The Bradley is designed to support its Infantry dismounts while its dismounts support it was well. The Bradley's best outcome are usually when it's used in conjunction with the Abrams like the battle of 73 eastings.
Theater command crucified the gunner, chief, and convoy commanders.
Full court martials all the way around with "Discharge 5". The assistant convoy commander got an extra charge due to falsifying his report. Saying the vehicle was destroyed/inoperable, and the driver was KIA. And it was to dangerous to recover the body. Which as Zach knows, turned out to be false. The Convoy Commander, assistant Convoy Commander, and crew chief, and gunner got "discharge 5", and prison time.
Many thanks to Vicius and Disgruntled Devilin for finding the report
Where can I find the source?
Following
Non military person here. What’s Discharge 5?
@@frostwolf8994 I believe it is a dishonorable discharge
@@jacobrobuck7260 as they fucking deserve. This is one of the biggest affronts to the Soldiers Creed I've ever seen
Honestly that bradley story had me furious, especially as an ex-tc. Not even counting just how despicable that is, you're essentially crippling your IFV to the point that it becomes a very shiny half blind battletaxi.
The story infuriated me but the “very shiny half blind battletaxi” made me chuckle
This is before the ISIL wars, if it's then, ISIL will capture it use it as an armored VBIED, and put the turret on a truck.
@@teslashark they would not turn the armored hull of a Bradley into a bomb. They'd likely use it as an unarmed APC.
@@ZaiketsuKumori why not, they used BMPs, T-55s, ect, bradly is pretty spacious and fast, you could cram a fuck ton of explosives into it
It's understandable why this tale is so triggering for you. I think that's why Mike added the glove story onto the end, to try and balance it a little. I believe this is the darkest of the campfire tales, the others shouldn't be as triggering as this. Thank you for pushing through it though. Your take on it was fascinating to hear. :)
I think even his story about being mortared is more light-hearted than this...
@@dragonwithamonocle Yeah; that one at least has a funny interaction with a Sergeant and some toilet humour. The Bradley one is just hoorrible.
@@dragonwithamonocle Yeah, he had a funny interaction when he got on a safe spot and he made it funny to hear, and glad that he came out alive. This one has no silcer liing or funny interaction to remember from it, it was just bad leadership and lack of care for subordinates and team mates.
I have never even been in the military and it infuriates me
The Bradley one at least the kid didn't die. The Seatbelt story actually had the officer kill someone in a horrible way with their demands for protocol.
I think that having bad leaders and KNOWING you're commanded (and obligated to obey) people you don't trust to be competent is probably a huge factor for PTSD.
Imagine being in an active combat area. Imagine being there at the beck and call of people who you wouldn't trust to tie your shoe laces if you met them at the mall.
Imagine getting into difficult situations that you suspect might've been less difficult and dangerous if someone else had been in command.
One of the reasons I love Paul - he served as an officer and is a calm and reasonable guy that gives me hope that attrition hasn’t led to a total Rupertization of the larger chains-of-command; if not inspiring confidence in the upper leadership, but… nothing is perfect, I guess.
That's why a lot of leadership would get fragged in combat zones. Happened a lot in vietnam
@@sirstone if the ‘system’ won’t allow for evolution of more effective tactics… I guess there’s a good reason it tends to be underreported.
Ultimately means you’re at least one man short though, so… desperate measures and all that.
@@paulpolito2001 military leadership is incompetent at best. I had a stand in Company Commander at one point in time who had a history of leading tracked units and actually commanded Bradley's to drive through Constantine wire and *surprised pikachu face* when the Brad popped a track. When the vehicles are used properly in conjunction with other appropriate vehicles they work better. The Bradley is generally better when used in conjunction with Armor (Abrahms)
@@paulpolito2001 a battle when the Bradley was used appropriately is the battle of 73 eastings.
As not fun as this story is to listen to, I think it's really important in getting context for the rest if Zach's stories. Obviously not all of the military is like this, but knowing that this was the part of the military he was in and had to see every day can really help understand where he comes from in the other stories. Beyond just him seeming like he simply dislikes the military/army.
Oh I agree entirely listening to him kinda just threw off the star spangled awesome I use to think about the military and started looking at it more humanly
@@rokkfel4999 that's losing a lot of nationalism
That's a good thing
it shows that you're human and empathetic
@@anarchomando7707 losing nationalism is both good and bad. A super nationalist soldier is going to be a better soldier, but a less nationalist small arms repairman can make things run better, because he will take less shit.
@@anarchomando7707 wel thank you , I still love my country but now I’m just kinda disappointed in the “free world”and the hypocrisy because I know we can make the world a magnificent place….but that’s just me rambling now
@@zeallust8542better soldiers?
More obedient sure I'll give you that but better?
No
Nationalism as the definition of implies
Is that one so nation is above all others and must be protected at *any cost*
That leaves no room for questioning your own Nation(or her own indeed her officers)
(And the officers are not questioning their leader, creating a horrible line of goose stepping to the bottom line)
it's only blind loyalty
(Not to be confused with patriotism, which is respect for one's Nation but recognizing the the warts and all, wanting to do better for it by changing it to a better place)
*Nationalism* has always fueled the many atrocities of 20th century and before (and 21st) and imperialistic power s
Imperial Japan(Nanking , her atrocities in Korea and china)
Fascist Italy,
Franco Spain
(See below for Germany)
Colonial Spain, France, Belgium(that's a whole other rant) UK see below
Imperial Russia, America, austro-hungry, Britain , Germany france (see world war I)(who's bright idea was it was to sit in a trench and constantly throw soldiers at each others in a deadly game of Red Rover)
Nazis Germany(see Holocaust )
Colonial Germany
(every tool in the Holocaust from the concentration camp to the rhetoric was refined in their war in Africa heck even Görings own father what's a general there and subjugated they're native people
Killing *half* the Namibia population
killings-which occurred through battle; through starvation and thirst in the Omaheke Desert; and through forced labor, malnutrition, sexual violence, medical experiments and disease in concentration camps-was to rid the colony of people viewed as expendable and thus gain access to their land.)(exactly what Germany did to Europe in the second world war)
Portuguese and Brazil
Belgium (and her atrocity in the Congo)
America and the Philippines
America and the history of slavery(which the Nazis later stole, through rhetoric )
American And eugenics
American and native American history (from sea to shining sea, and no more "Redman")
Britain, (the Sun never sets on the English empire, subjugation from India and china to all of her colonies)(would see she later used as Cannon fodder(one of the major reasons for the box of war in China, to it going red,
To why india India started to cut herself from the imperialism of Britain)(one of the only reasons the pyramids of Egypt are still there is because they're too big to transport backto
The British Isle,)
Canadian and their indigenous history (so far as equating the Inuit people to the Irish!)
I could go on forever
(You, sir did not ramble, you made a statement)
But my point here is this"nationalism"
Is nothing but a tool for blind loyalty, in the soldier and the populace
One that the aristocratic and ruling powers used to exploit the minorities of many nations, destroying their history, language and culture
I'm a history buff I study atrocities as a way to prevalent more
the campfire stories and gun rants are a must watch, keep em coming pls
When Zach started talking aboug Bradley and our Veteran here was like "Oh no... I think they mean clear the gun of a wrecked Bradley." my thoughts were "That would probably be morally better than what actually happened."
Everytime he stops the video to explain why someone would do what the people in these stories are doing I just keep going, "Oh no, he's about to be really upset at the guys he's defending in a second."
Lol officers
I've always thought that if I were in the military and I were in combat, the only thing preventing me from running away would be the thought of, "How could I live with myself abandoning someone?" It saddens me and angers me that an entire convoy thought that they could live with themselves abandoning a kid.
They didnt even get a medic to look him...
Most people in the convoy likely had little to no idea that that they were, the real scumbags are the ones that are in charge and should have known
That's a good point actually. Hadn't considered that.
I don't know why, but it just so satisfying to me when he pauses the video, says "oh, it's probably this or that!" and then the video goes "So why is that, ZaNk?" "Because this and that, Mike...".
*T'au spotted. Engaging protocol.* WEEEEEEEEEB!!!!!
The T'au are cool
You got to love Mike he knows when a situation is getting a little too dark and tries to bring some levity to it.
gallows humor gets men out of dark times.
I’m glad that MikeBurnFire is getting more attention.
I mean anyone who play Fallout games get mikeburnfire video recommend to them once, especially the New Vegas "multiplayer" videos, but they are still not as popular
But they came to popularity with Zach gun rant complications being recommended to people who either play fallout or interested in Millitary stuff, especially gun
@@MyH3ntaiGirl Still though I do like more people watching MikeBurnFire. I think they’re pretty cool.
You mean mikefireburn 😂
@@yinakiyama Honestly they do it surprises me that they're not as popular. but that's probably because they don't abuse the algorithm by # every word to exist.
@@SirBroadcast well their gun rant sure get the algorithm going, i got that video recommend to me like 20 times before i give up and watch it
"Oh he's talking about a DESTROYED bradley."
Me: Oh, you sweet, summer child...
topkek
Yep hahaha
I'm glad that Mike and Zach talk about the really bad parts of their military career like this, because that anger and sadness is empathy and it brings us to connect to their history. The silly stories and the frustrating stories flesh out the world I am not a part of better in my mind because of how Zach builds up the horror of being in the driver's shoes, and then having that contrast to Mike becoming a hands on plumber.
Agreed, it also helps that he loves firearms so much...makes it amazing anytime he picks up a new gun in the game.
The current small arms M.O.S is 91F which is now called 'small arms and artillery repair'
If i remember, back in 06-07, 91F was tanker truck driver. I was 88M, plain jane truck driver, schooled next to them. Do you know what that is now?
I think this is probably the saddest/darkest camp fire they've done. The rest are usually humorous in some way, but like someone has already said, this one is rather important to show why he has such a dislike towards the military. Which is valid in my eyes. Especially growing up in a military household where both my parents took part in the actions in the middle east. Just, extremely understandable I guess sums it up.
To your point about not believing in leadership specifically in grocery stores, you are 100% correct. We work hard for each other and say fuck it to the customers and the managers. The only good thing about working 48 hours a week since the pandemic started is that we have each other's backs.
You'll be alright
I hope you're being paid overtime for the eight extra hours
Ngl, the Bradley story brought back some unpleasant memories about working in a Sonic with no ventilation and asthma. There is a big demand for leadership but very little supply.
Remember there is power in the Union.
@@sirrivet9557 solidarity forever Comrade
OIF1, our BDE Commander
"Hey, no one is shooting at me in my Bradley. I'm taking out my HUMVEE."
Good people got run through a shredder because this Colonel wanted to be a fucking cowboy.
Open top?
@@teslashark his? No. The other guys? Canvas top mostly
i just came across this again, and i legitimately ground my teeth
"US treats their soldier abs citizen like they have value"
Best joke I've heard all day.
We're just expendable to the us government. Hell they purposefully infected Americans with syphilis just so they could study the effects of the disease.
@@williethenerfherder2193 yeah there are multiple instances of us soldiers being experimented on and what do they get after the war for there service? A wife who either left them or cheated on them they become homeless and they snap killing or hurting themselves or others due to not get psychological help
@@williethenerfherder2193 here’s also a quote for a former us Secretary of State "Military men are just dumb stupid animals, to be used as pawns in foreign policy." - Henry Kissinger
I can't help thinking you took a nap after this. After you got through the Bradley story your demeanor changed from oh boy here we go again to dear, god this caffeine isn't doing jack diddly I just mite need that cigarette after all.
Love the videos, thanks for rolling with punches on this one.
For your next MikeBurnFire try Challenge Coins/Blue Falcons it has some funny stories in that one.
He did say Coffee addict instead of occasional Coffee addict at the start
The gun rants are super fun ones, Zach is very knowledgeable about all sorts of guns.
I agree, he should watch gun rants, even if cutting them into parts
Let's not forget his favorite gun the Pancor Jackhammer
@@wolfspider2034 Ah.........uh.........Now I'm scared for you if Zach finds this comment.
Watching your face during their stories reminds me of the meme:
man who thought he'd lost all hope loses last additional bit of hope he didn't even know he had
I think the best part about finding your channel and seeing these reactions/explained, is that your slowly beginning to understand why zach as a person has so much hate for the military. from his own experience that we hear from the campfire stroies and in their fallout Lp's, it gives a really good perspective on a just how someone can have the worst time with their leadership and come out so dejected from the military.
Thinking back to the time where I was at a crossroads in life, picking the Army or learning to weld. Wouldn't trade my welding mask for a helmet ever, hearing these stories reinforce that.
Fwiw; I think you made the right choice
Maybe if you joined the army and became a small arms repair dude, they'd ask you to do welding after working on the 155, the Bradley and the 5-ton.
I feel that's a terrible way of thinking about it. If it came down to it I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a gun to stop someone from killing my family. I have my doubts about my country, but there are people here I care about.
@@enderren8092 I think a lot of people agree with that, but nothing since WWII has really felt like protecting the nation. Nam, Korea, every single thing in the middle east- if we ignored each of them, the world would look about the same as it does now- only with less dead service men...
You could argue it's "keeping up the shield"- preventing wars by being so strong and imposing. I'd agree with that, but I just wish grunts didn't have to go through so much abuse for that.
I'm going to take this as one of those lessons life gives you sometimes if you listen, and learn to weld. bc im at the same crossroads you are
The bradley story is fucked up, man. It was interesting to hear your perspective regarding PTSD and stuff
23:10 this is why amazon is both so fascinating and terrifying to me the fact that it is able to operate at such a scale is almost as daunting as their lack of bathroom breaks
Lol I just run to the bathroom when I can.
You know that story is like over 5 years old? They fixed that problem a while ago. Thankfully cuz that shits gross
This is by far the worst story Zach has told. Even the one where he gets carbon monoxide poisoning isn't as bad. But you should definitely check out his gun rants, they're actually hilarious and form most of the lighthearted and funny side of the channel.
Yeah! It's finally happening again! Love these, being someone who can not personally relate to these stories it's awesome to see someone who can relate more than I can.
Gosh that ending “he had a legitimate safety concern your just all idiots” cracked me up
Thank you for mentioning grocery store workers. I remember the first month of this pandemic very well. The constant 6-day work weeks, lines that stretched across the store, and the stress caused by the mad dash for supplies.
And everyone yelling at you like it was your fault as supplies were either gone or only limited items for *EVERYONE* but people actually started stealing, fighting, and even had one held up at gun point for 6 rolls of toilet paper. People really do panic, and we’re the ones that not only witness it, but had yo deal with it. Especially when leadership wasn’t there, bailed out because they couldn’t handle it.
Considering recent Afghanistan events, them leaving 1 Bradley behind isn't surprising.
Yeah, it was foreshadowing
@@liamgriffin218 plus with the recent news the tallies are destroying all that good gear and vehicles, that stuff aint worth shit if you don't got logistics
The thing I like about Zach and Mike's stories are that they aren't afraid to tell sad or dark stories.
Yep, Zach and Mike don’t try to be funny all the time. They are normally because of their personalities. Mike not taking stuff seriously and almost irreverently, while Zach is sarcastic and Ironic.
11:35 *His captain senses are tingling to this level of incompetence and negligence.*
No, they're going into full *Metalcore screamo band overdrive on steroids.*
That last story was thrown in to cushion how bad that first one was. You know? Ending things on a lighter note after how dark the previous stories were.
Dude, that shit you said in the video that isolation can make a man brittle is so relatable. I deal with loneliness all the fucking time, it's the most despairing part of my life and would never wish it on my worst enemy.
The blimp story reminds me of the time while I was in Afghanistan in 2009 (I was with 1 Battalion 5th Marine regiment Weapons company 81 platoon) Master Sargent used the G boss (powerful camera stuck on top of a tower) to look to at is in our patrol base to see if we had fresh hair cuts. Mind you we part of the surge so we in middle of nowhere with not even a generator. So that was fun.
...please tell me the camera, or its remote controls, got mysteriously broken?
@@Gantradies No, it did not break.
The good news is that this is probably one of the darkest campfire stories. It's all up-hill from here.
Fun fact about the krink is that it was about worth 4 to 5 DsHK machine guns.
I literally just saw a Brandon Herrera video where they bring this up.
Glad you decided to do more of these, they’re so much fun
Even as somebody with no military background, the bit about this sounded unfortunately familiar: (paraphrasing)
"If your leadership doesn't have your back, there's nothing that can redeem that."
"If you know your leadership doesn't value you, the only way to save your self-respect is to leave that organization."
Honestly that sounded like most of the jobs I've had, and most of the jobs that have been held by most of the people I know. The attitude of people in positions of leadership toward their subordinates in this country is abysmal. It's like an epidemic of awful leadership and lack of respect. IDK if it's like that in the rest of the world, but it honestly seems like the United States in particular is really horrible about this. I mean, if it's like that in both the military and private industry, then that's basically what most American work culture has become. It's horrible that this seems to have become the norm, here.
The Bradley story was one of those stories that stuck with me long after I forgot many of his other stories. It shows how the military can really be sometimes, and it's great to get another veteran's take on a story like this.
Out of curiosity, is the US Army (and other parts?) still running that insane "Up or out" thing with their officers?
Because that is one of the most insane ideas i ever heard of. And not just the "not get in trouble" thing, but that they might be promoting people out of their skill level.
That story about the 18th or 19th century British Commander that got the epitaph "Brilliant Lieutenant, passable Captain, disastrous Colonel" comes to mind. (Can't remember his name though.)
I assume they still would. After all, they haven't had to give a shit about winning a war in decades.
Up or Out is still one tool used by entire US Military to maintain numbers. Putting limit on number of years of service for each rank is regular course of doing business.
@@dudejo Sadly the military has just become another group of politicians stepping on the people below them. The top brass could not give less of a shit what happens to anything so long as they stay on top.
We still do up or out, and show no signs of stopping.
I feel the same way as you, but you must also acknowledge that many branches have a serious dearth of candidates for senior leadership. We commission most officers with the expectation that they'll make Captain/Colonel or even Admiral/General one day. Most don't, but the military's general goal is to shove as many junior leaders through as possible and hope enough retain on the other side, because the alternative is that those positions simply don't get filled.
The challenge coin episode should be next to react to, it's very adorable. :)
I agree
Toss up between Coins and Baloney Bob
@@jedediahcoulbourne1791 Reckon Coins is the slightly better pick just because it is a good bit of positivity after the Bradley clusterfrag.
@@SerLagsalot the bewilderment of Bob always entertained me personally but I feel like the coin story has more relatability
Hey man, thanks for going through this video despite the story being upsetting. But there is probably a lesson to be learned in all that, and your insights are as always interesting to hear. I think it also helps to highlight why Zach has a dislike for the military.
"It's hit an IED."
Well Paul, you're uhhh, 1/4 right
"It's been hit by an IED..."
I mean, you *weren't* wrong...
"The military's way of doing things just breeds resentment."
Applies to the government as a whole.
Youre definitely right about the isolation thing, its way easier to get traumatized when youre isolated. Especially when youre used to having a team to support you.
"That's unbelievably poor leadership..."
Me: but wait, it gets worse!
34:14 From what I understand, this sort of behavior lead to the downfall of the Assyrian Empire. They were well known in their time for being unbelievably bloodthirsty, and their warriors were so ferocious that they drove fear into the hearts of all their neighbors. They waged many wars and took lots of slaves, but in each battle their most fervent troops would die, being driven by their culture and reputation to take the most risks. All the soldiers who were cautious or cowardly ended up surviving all the battles. Thus, when the Empire had pushed too far and started wars on too many fronts, none of their competent warriors were left to defend them, and they were absolutely smushed by the Medes.
It still amazed me that they left Bradley kid alone like a lost puppy, I can't not feel bad for this kid
I hope that Bradley driver is doing alright these days. Hoping the opposite for the commander.
Just like the glove story at the end though, it's good to know that although there's some god awful military leaders out there like the commander in the Bradley, there's also some that genuinely care about their troops and their safety.
You should collab with zach he's been commenting on your other story videos. Maybe play some back 4 blood together
Got a link? I would love to see what hes got say
@@nedmiller9977 th-cam.com/video/SZqt5FK20RY/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts
first comment
Combat Veteran: I bet its the wreckage of a Bradley..... Me: o you have no idea..... 10 mins later Combat Vet is visibly pissed off, and now knows why this story makes Zach very angry talking about it
This is one of the most frustrating stories I’ve ever heard about the US military. This story always makes me legitimately angry, much like Zank here.
Leaving soldiers behind is sadly not exclusive to American military forces during the worst periods of the desert sandbox experience.
Old associate of mine from Belgium dropped out of middle school and got sent to Chechnya during the second Chechen war as a merc through a contact he refused to elaborate on because what else are you going to do. The weirdest stories included burning himself when the wind picked up the flames from his molotov after throwing it on top of the tank to cook the crew out, resulting in hideous burns. Doing controlled demolition of enemy ammunition, and accidentally lighting two kids on fire that were hiding amongst the ammo crates, and playing Russian roulette with a six shooter and five bullets during downtime.
The worst one was when he was fighting on the ground, and he got shot by friendlies. He wakes up after they've left the area, picks a direction, and starts walking. On the way, a grenade explodes not far from his position, which results in shrapnel popping his right eye. He miraculously stumbles towards a Russian
FOB, who starts shouting about a zombie approaching the base. Dude gets checked in, goes to the bathroom, and only then does he realize a string of eyeball goop is dangling from the socket.
War is hell. The bright side is that he worked privately as hired muscle for VIP's in Japan last I talked to him back in 2019.
i can’t understand what it’s like to go through what you, mike or zach have been through since i’m not military personnel, but i really do appreciate the compassionate angle you went through during this video, i really appreciate the perspective you provide in these stories. i hope you’re alright after that, i know how it feels to be triggered by something..
Hey Paul, got a question.
Would the driver file, like, a report or something against his commander/vehicle commander? Or would he just be pulled in for a debrief after getting some medical attention and the higher ups would decide whether or not to do something with the info?
Would the base MPs get involved in that case or?
In a perfect world, this wouldn't have gone unnoticed and heads would have rolled.
If it was a brush under the rug event, I know the Army has a way of addressing concerns. In the Navy/Marines we have "Request Mast" that is a request to address a concern directly to your commanding officer. If it's not resolved, you can request mast to the CO above him and keep going until it's resolved.
But the world is the world and even something like that may not work.
Based on another comment there was a lot of punishment including prison time
@@goldenhide ah yes, the ol' "we investigated ourselfs and found we did nothing wrong" approach.
Don't worry bud, apparently everyone everyone involved in leaving the kid behind got crucified, not literally but I wish they did
@@ebinecksdee9872 Still haven't actually been able to find that article the guy mentioned on that, so...
Nice, this was the story I was thinking of when I asked you to continue reacting to mikeburnfire vids, happy you got to it.
10:10 - the army should have written on their bradleys "I''m a not a Tank, just a Troop-Carrier. Please don't open fire upon me"
Insurgents: Oh sweet, more kills.
"Why should I remain loyal to a company that has not been loyal to me?"
That's the question that I kept asking myself before quitting my job of the previous decade to work elsewhere a couple months ago. I enjoyed the work, but the people in charge made it clear that they only cared about getting new employees instead of keeping the ones they had.
Zach's stories are 75% of the reason I'm never joining the military unless I have to
The other 25% is I refuse to kill unless in self-defense
"You know, I love a good campfire but uh, "Mikefireburn", every time, their campfires just keep getting weirder, and weirder, and weirder."
My friend, you have no idea.
Been waiting for this story, plenty of others to listen to
I am currently a 91F small arms repairer. The US Army is qualification of "small arms" is bizarre. Handgun, infantry rifle, designated marksman's rifle, sniper rifle, squad automatic weapon, infantry machine gun, 12 shotgun, grenade launcher, 50 cal machine gun, grenade machine gun, 60 mm mortar, 81 mm mortar, 120 mm mortar, m242 chain gun, 105 mm howitzer, and 155 mm howitzer are all under small arms. The 7.62mm chambered m134 not small arms for some reason. Basically anything from 5.56 mm to 155 mm that is not a rocket launcher and not a multi-barreled rotary gun is small arms.
This is hilarious to hear his comments on the Bradley story when I know the Bradley story because I watch Mike burn fire
As a 91F Small Arms Repair, I was trained to repair all weapon systems from the M9 9mm to the M777 155mm artillery.
Hey, man, I still recommend you check out Syrmor and his "guy in vrchat talks about being a soldier for hire" video. And others. They are... Quite interesting. Sometimes upsetting, but he finds really interesting people to interview.
Hes got a lot of good interviews
Or the AC-130 Gunner. That one is chilling with how dehumanized that guy felt about himself.
@@StevenGarcia-im8rr I'll second the AC gunner. Tyat one hit hard
Oh yeah, the AC-130 gunner interview hit me in a similar manner to this Bradley story.
this
This is the first video of yours that I’ve watched and I already feel like I understand so much more about the military
My dad was a Commander during the Cold War. That was what happened to him was, "get promoted or else" well, he wasn't able to get promoted to Major 3 times in a row, and always because the same person denied him each time, he had to retire from the Army for not getting promoted to Major..
it's always interesting having another opinion on these stories, it would be fun having Paul join in on one of their campfire story episodes
I don't think Zach particularly likes officers.
@@WinterRaven25 considering his stories I don't blame him
Me either . I'm more fond of the officers that were enlisted first. They were more in touch with their troops than the "fresh out of school" officers.
I get you dont like hearing about stuff like the Bradley incident but at the same time we did kinda warn you it was probably going to piss you off. But please react to the challenge coins Mikeburnfire story that one is Fort Polk related but it has a moment Zach is particularly proud of himself for while there
155mm Howitzers may not be considered small-arms. But Zach had to deal with them either way.
16:10: I'm not a big fan of reaction channels (don't ask why I watch them anyways), but I was surprised by his knowledge and insight on surveys, statistics, and even mental health associated with trauma and PTSD.
"that was really good, and with good I mean triggering"
Relatable
I really think that having friends in the darkest parts of your life will make it so much more survivable! It’s important to reach out, not only for help but to help someone else.
Even if they aren’t entirely receptive the fact that someone cares enough to KEEP reaching out to them can make their struggles leagues easier to deal with.
Also a combat vet, 2012 OEF Afghanistan. The moment I heard about the TC and gunner dipping out I was furious. Toxic leadership needs to get steppin'. If you can't back the simple phrase "I won't leave anyone behind" then get out. Not hard to blow the truck and leave it behind if actually needed. Truck can be written off with probably a good ass chewing, lose a truck AND the driver? Lots of questions are going to be asked. Hard ones.
TC and gunner are the epitome of *THAT GUY*
I can only imagine that the Bradley may not have taken severe damage, but the shockwaves of the IEDs melted the crew's brains.
I was in an artillery unit back in 2000 pre 9/11, we had a captain that was less than stellar.
If it took a millimeter of effort to praise the troops and increase morale versus a meter of effort to berate the troops and destroy morale he would do ten kilometers of effort to destroy morale "to get the point across".
That unit, we had a troop whose house burned down while we were at AT in Fort Drum, everything was in his name.
Captain refused to let the troop speak to the JAG and get something started on fixing the issue at home because "dUriNg CoMbAt wE wOuLdN'T bE AbLe tO".
My stepdaughter died in a car accident, I got told "your daughter is in fact alive and even if she wasn't suck it up and drive on, sge didn't mean anything to you anyway."
So I ended up going inactive immediately prior to 9/11.
I felt like I was letting my brothers in artillery down.
But it was either that or take a ride to Leavenworth because of how pissed I was.
I really recommend the "guy in vrchat talks about being a soldier for hire" video by Syrmor if you like these military story videos.
More campfire stories boss! Currently waiting for my buddy to pick what MOS he wants
That poor 19 year old probably has so much PTSD. I can only imagine what he went through
This was really awesome to see. I appreciate you sharing your perspective, especially considering the emotionally trying nature of the stories. There's a video by Jacob Geller called "Does Call of Duty Believe in Anything?" that examines some of the messaging and undertones of the most recent Modern Warfare game. I'd be very curious to hear your take on it, if you're interested, as someone who has potentially experienced some of the things they're depicting first hand.
“Mikefireburn” I love you videos and that was already an amazing opening
In the bradley you got to give the kid credit for not panicking and driving off into the unknown or leaving the tank. He must have collected him and done the logical thing.
In this video we see the face of man grappling with absolute anger and conflict of emotions across his face.
Yeah, hard video, thanks for giving us more context to it all.
Please react to more of their videos. I promise the rest are not nearly as dark or depressing. I recommend the zachs gun rants videos. Zach has an amazing level of knowledge regarding firearms. I promise you’ll enjoy it. Something a little more lighthearted to un-trigger you.
Edit: 37:45 I’m guessing you’ve at the very least heard something of sun tzu, so this quote might not be new to you, but something about what you said here reminded me of that quote, “regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”
I've never seen this channel before. I'm glad that you didn't call Zach a liar, and I could see the pain on your face in some parts. I really enjoyed seeing this, and hearing about the environment surrounding this story, but I'm incredibly heartbroken that this really was the situation in Iraq at the time.
I dare say that 4 IEDs followed by company abandonment and an untreated head injury on your first time outside the wire in Iraq at 19 years old makes for some pretty fucking strong PTSD. I hope whoever was in charge of that convoy got the shit kicked out of them later
Almost any if Hazard’s, Zack, stories are great and are all worthy of a video!
The way the government works, the convoy commander probably got a promotion
Man, I'd love to sit on a couch and watch these with you!