A helicopter lands near the AO!

[Jeff Venture]

A US Marine CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter lands near the area of Operations for the group. 6 Men on board. No injuries. They were lost and ran out of fuel. They saw the smoke from fires and ground activity and tried to get as close as they could.

The slick is on vapors and they have had no contact with Command in days. The guy in charge says he got mission orders but it doesn't relate to our group in any way. They don't seem beligerent just tired and scared.

How do we approach them? What do we do?

[hminus]

Help em out

[PT945]

are these 6 Marines, 6 civilians? are they armed or unarmed? if there Marines why are they scared?

[Oscar Wilde]

A US Marine CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter lands near the area of Operations for the group.

The Marine Corps doesn't fly D models anymore .... these folks are impostors!

6 Men on board. No injuries. They were lost and ran out of fuel. They saw the smoke from fires and ground activity and tried to get as close as they could.

Only 6? Under the imagined conditions this would be a serious waste of resources.
Lost? Beyond bingo fuel? Impostors.
Are you imagining rogue Marines have "abandoned ship"? They would have departed on foot or vehicle and known where they were going.
How would you know they were low on or out of fuel? Are there maps of any sort in the cockpit?

The slick is on vapors and they have had no contact with Command in days. The guy in charge says he got mission orders but it doesn't relate to our group in any way. They don't seem belligerent just tired and scared.

How do we approach them? What do we do?

No one refers to a CH-53 as a "slick", that's reserved for UH-1 Huey and AH-1 Cobra types. The CH-53 WITH auxiliary external tanks has 4 1/2 hours flying time best case. With internal tanks it's a flying bomb looking for a place to detonate .... 1 1/2 more flying time per. So this thing being out and about for days, unless its RON'ing after every twenty minutes of flight, is a BS cover story. Take these fellas with ya if you like but you need to immediately pack up and get as far from the site as fast as you can. That bird, if nothing else is a huge marker. Have your new "members" strip naked .... EVERYTHING .... and toss it into the bird. Give them new clothing and equipment from your stores.

O.W.

[PT945]

The Marine Corps doesn't fly D models anymore .... these folks are impostors!



Only 6? Under the imagined conditions this would be a serious waste of resources.
Lost? Beyond bingo fuel? Impostors.
Are you imagining rogue Marines have "abandoned ship"? They would have departed on foot or vehicle and known where they were going.
How would you know they were low on or out of fuel? Are there maps of any sort in the cockpit?



No one refers to a CH-53 as a "slick", that's reserved for UH-1 Huey and AH-1 Cobra types. The CH-53 WITH auxiliary external tanks has 4 1/2 hours flying time best case. With internal tanks it's a flying bomb looking for a place to detonate .... 1 1/2 more flying time per. So this thing being out and about for days, unless its RON'ing after every twenty minutes of flight, is a BS cover story. Take these fellas with ya if you like but you need to immediately pack up and get as far from the site as fast as you can. That bird, if nothing else is a huge marker. Have your new "members" strip naked .... EVERYTHING .... and toss it into the bird. Give them new clothing and equipment from your stores.

O.W.

I guess I need to do some studying up on military vehicles. This was great info O W.

[Snow Walker]

I'm not going to argue about the type of equipment used because you never know what the Military or anybody for that matter will be using. My first worry would be about us and the security of our location.

I would not be react with force, but would take precautions, taking them in, and unarming them until we could check into things a little more. I'm not talking locking them up, but keeping them under watch and further verifying their story. It would also be smart to hide the helicopter in some fashion by covering it with something.

There could be numerous explanations for what's going on, but the bottom line is you want to protect the community and handle things without jumping to conclusions.

[Oscar Wilde]

.... My first worry would be about us and the security of our location.

Should something like this happen, your location is no longer secure. As I mentioned, if they want to tag a long fine but you and yours need to un'ass that AO pronto. If they are who they say they are, someone you might not want finding you is going to be looking for them.

There could be numerous explanations for what's going on, but the bottom line is you want to protect the community and handle things without jumping to conclusions.

There probably are .... I'd be interested in the truth. I wholey agree, jumping to conclusions in such a situation will only end badly however, logically the actions and of this crew and their explanation does not compute.

O.W.

[Jeff Venture]

Intresting responese by all. The model name of the heli I pulled from a current news story for what its worth. The improper use of the term 'slick' is mine and unintentional.

As for the Marines being tired and scared, I doubt this as well but it helped explain that they were not at thier best. I really do not see the Marines giving up thier weapons to us. I wonder what the protocol for this is with the USMC?

[Snow Walker]

Should something like this happen, your location is no longer secure. As I mentioned, if they want to tag a long fine but you and yours need to un'ass that AO pronto. If they are who they say they are, someone you might not want finding you is going to be looking for them.



There probably are .... I'd be interested in the truth. I wholey agree, jumping to conclusions in such a situation will only end badly however, logically the actions and of this crew and their explanation does not compute.

O.W.

Your point is well taken and I can agree to some extent. However, this only shows how hard it would be to actually determine who is friendly or unfriendly. You may have military personel who no longer support the government and in turn might be replaced by contractors hired by the government to make up for it's military losses through death/defection. It will be one big mess no matter what! As for Marines not acting like this you are sadly mistaken. Marines are human, not machines no matter how much they think they are. I have respect for any of our Armed Forces, but have issues with Marines or any other military forces that think they are Gods.

It would also be helpful to know what we were hiding from...a goverment turning on it's people, an invading country etc...In a situation where it would be a government turning on it's people every individual in this country will be tested both physically and mentally, especially all the soldiers of the Armed Forces who will find difficulty being caught in between right and wrong/government or family. Our soldiers are stretched to the max. now and to fall into this situation will ony demoralize most of them.

The way I see it as has been portrayed here you only have two choices...Kill them, take what is useful for equipment and move out or get to the bottm of things. Personally, I will not kill anyone that could be telling the truth and needing help especially Marines/Military who have possibly chosen to side with the people of this country. They would only be a valuable asset!

As far as getting out of there if they are there for you (as mentioned), you have already run out of time. They weren't sent in without someone to support them. Chances are there are snipers or some type of over watch keeping an eye on things.

Alot of tough decisions, solutions and answers which are neither right or wrong. There is nothing wrong with thinking ahead, but you will NEVER be able to plan for everything. The Civil War was the bloodiest war in history, but if the day ever comes in which this nation falls apart again we are all in alot of trouble!

As your signature states...Things are seldom as they seam.

[Oscar Wilde]

Intresting responese by all. The model name of the heli I pulled from a current news story for what its worth. The improper use of the term 'slick' is mine and unintentional.

Jeff, I enjoyed your scenario. What I take away from this is there are things that make sense and things that don't .... of course much of this is derived from personal experiences. Should I encounter a situation that gives me cause to question, I will not allow it to progress to the point where me and mine are in jeopardy and the potential threat will be isolated until deemed otherwise. Making the call of friend or foe may be tough .... but there may be only one opportunity to make it correctly. Looking forward to your next one.

O.W.

[haglered]

Interrogate them as to thier intentions then make a decison based on the political situation and your need to stay unknown and your best judgement on their intentions. If you are hiding from the Government, kill them and move quickly and quietly to another area.

If the government has not betrayed it's people and you think these soldiers are no threat, take them in.