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<DIV><FONT size=4>Personal emails removed. If you want to see the original
emails you'll have to go to the Ansteorra List.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Forwarded from the sca Afghanistan
yahoogroup.<BR><BR>Ioannes<BR><BR>---------- Forwarded message
----------<BR>From: Archmage Computers </DIV>
<DIV>Date: Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 2:44 AM<BR>Subject: Re: [scaafghanistan] Spare
Armor for Afghanistan<BR>To: <A
href="wlmailhtml:{070B2D3A-A6E4-4871-81A5-318E292BD844}mid://00000000/!x-usc:mailto:scaafghanistan@yahoogroups.com">scaafghanistan@yahoogroups.com</A><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>As
for my self as the Ealdormere mentioned in the first paragraph.. I have<BR>to
agree to every thing said in the email... KAF at this time can not do<BR>Heavy
Combat... If there is any one from other Afghan bases<BR>who situation is
different such as BAF or Kabul. I do ask that some one who<BR>has been at that
base answer as each base<BR>has different environments and resources.... We had
quite a bit of luck with<BR>the fencing with rapier and the officials perceive
it as some variation<BR>of Olympic fencing.<BR><BR>All of our practices at this
time are in public view and as such make good<BR>Demo and i have figures in the
last 9 months since we started the fencing i<BR>am sure we have added 2 new SCA
Members and another dozen people saying they<BR>will try it out when they get
home.<BR><BR>The concern of dehydration and heat shock is also needs to be
addressed as<BR>summer roles in the temperatures reach 50+ Degrees C and then
once the sun<BR>goes down will dip down in to the 20's... Wearing Kevlar body
armor may also<BR>need to be required as rocket attacks here will be come more
common in the<BR>summer.<BR><BR><BR>John Moran<BR><BR><BR><BR>On Sat, Feb 27,
2010 at 2:56 AM, John Atkinson <BR><BR>><BR>><BR>> I noticed this
posting and discussed it with the gentle from<BR>> Ealdormere who is, so far
as I know, one of the the only other two<BR>> authorized Heavy fighters on
Khandahar Air Field. Having said that, I<BR>> speak only for myself on this
topic.<BR>><BR>> Apparently it has gone viral throughout most of the Known
World, and<BR>> I'd appreciate my forwarded response to be sent where ever
you have<BR>> seen the request for armor to be brought to Gulf Wars. I cc'ed
the<BR>> SCA in Afghanistan yahoogroup.<BR>><BR>> First off, let me say
how much I personally appreciate the idea--and<BR>> even more so, the fact
that it would actually happen. I appreciate<BR>> that this response might
upset some folks who are trying to do what is<BR>> a well-intentioned act of
charity. But I have to call it like I see<BR>> it--and in this case, I'm the
one wearing the armor in more ways than<BR>> one.<BR>><BR>> Let me
present the obstacles to having loaner gear and holding actual<BR>> rattan
combat on KAF.<BR>><BR>> First, the climate. During most of the year, this
place is incredibly<BR>> dry. We do not have, for the most part,
climate-controlled living<BR>> conditions. Leather would dry and crack in
fairly short order. I<BR>> brought a leather half-gauntlet to wear doing pell
work, and it has<BR>> already split to the point that it would not be safe to
wear. During<BR>> the rainy season, metal armor would rust solid. We do not
have the<BR>> shop, equipment, tools, etc. to maintain the armor. Most of us
do not<BR>> have the time, either.<BR>><BR>> Second, storage. If I say
it is frankly kicking our butts to handle<BR>> storage of the rapier loaner
gear, it would make the scale of problem<BR>> apparent. I personally live in
a circus tent with about 150 other<BR>> troops. We are on bunk beads, and
while lying in my bed I can reach<BR>> out and touch the bunks of the people
to my left and right. Even<BR>> those people who do have space to store a
duffel bag of armor and<BR>> swords have a hard time making it out regularly
enough for the gear to<BR>> do any good. It's our biggest issue right
now--one of the loaner<BR>> rapier bags is in the hands of someone who has
not been out to play in<BR>> two weeks. Next month, I will likely be out on
mission for 5-7 days<BR>> at a time--I certainly could not hold loaner
gear.<BR>><BR>> Third, experienced fighters. We have three with experience
in rattan<BR>> fighting -- and one of them is leaving in two weeks to go
home.<BR>> Frankly, I feel a lot safer having two utter newbies going at it
with<BR>> rapiers than with rattan clubs, especially if those people
have<BR>> military pugil stick or riot baton training and are
essentially<BR>> trained to fight to submission. Without an SCA group to
properly<BR>> train newbie how to call blows and what is and is not
acceptable, the<BR>> safety margin goes straight to pot. Especially if the
one or two<BR>> authorized marshals happens to not be there that night. Which
leads<BR>> us into the last two points.<BR>><BR>> Perception of safety.
Unless and until we get a general or three out<BR>> here who fights in the
SCA, we are dealing with people who don't<BR>> understand what we are doing.
They tolerate rapier--unofficially and<BR>> under the radar, so to speak. If
we went to rattan, someone would<BR>> take notice, and most likely ban it.
That stuff LOOKS dangerous, and<BR>> the chain of command is risk-adverse as
it is.<BR>><BR>> Finally, safety. All of us have to be at work
tomorrow--and for some<BR>> of us, "work" consists of going out and killing
people for real, who<BR>> are trying very, very hard to kill us. If I get a
broken collar bone<BR>> because some idiot Marine beat me with a club, I fail
in my duty. I<BR>> would have to send my Soldiers, for whom I am responsible,
out the<BR>> wire without me. It's not what an Ansteorran hero does--and
more<BR>> importantly, it is not what a professional Soldier does. What
would<BR>> be even worse would be for me to "simply" be bruised and
battered<BR>> enough that it will slow me down on mission. I trust I should
not<BR>> have to elaborate on the consequences. While it is possible to
get<BR>> hurt fighting rapier, it is far more likely to get hurt fighting
heavy<BR>> in minimal armor that doesn't fit properly against people who
don't<BR>> know what the hell they are doing.<BR>><BR>> Don't get me
wrong--I want to be able to fight heavy. I would love to<BR>> have kit that
fit me and was servicable enough to make me feel<BR>> comfortable doing so.
But frankly, I don't see it as practical given<BR>> the circumstances at
KAF.<BR>><BR>> Ld. Ioannes Dalassenos<BR>> Squire to Sir Giotto di
Giovanni<BR>><BR>> John M. Atkinson<BR>> SSG, USA<BR>> --<BR>>
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again<BR>>
and again. We're looking for thousands of Persians."<BR>> --Vita
Aureliani</DIV></BODY></HTML>