A question for you Army guys about Black Hawk Down.

[Texas Star]

Blackhawk Down theme music, Hans Zimmer

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O36FceRAUwE[/ame]


Here's some theme music from the film, composed by Hans Zimmer, a master of his craft. This is haunting, yet evocative of the scenes.


Note the good helicopter scenes. I know the Blackhawk. What are the smaller choppers?

 

[JJ_BPK]

Note the good helicopter scenes. I know the Blackhawk. What are the smaller choppers?

I believe they are the A/MH-6, Little Bird?

 

[Steve912]

Agreed, the entry requirements for the lead up schools, Airborne, Ranger, SF Q, do not have the same med waver clip points.

Don't a lot of 'em use the aviator physical standards?

 

[Steve912]

This impresses me so much that I definitely need to get out the DVD and see this powerful film again.

Read the book and you'll "get" a bunch of significance
that's given the fleetingest mention in the film.

There's a documentary by one of the cable channels,
or PBS, "The True Story of Blackhawk Down" that does
a pretty good job of highlighting that same info, if the
book is a bridge too far.

 

[Bkreutz]

Agreed, the entry requirements for the lead up schools, Airborne, Ranger, SF Q, do not have the same med waver clip points. All the shooters in that film were held to a much higher standard. SFOD-D is by invitation only. The HALO & Combat Divers courses are even harder..

My Combat Divers graduated 11 out of 87, About 1/2 DNF'd for ear or sinus problems.

I believe DoD Instruction 6130.03 will give you the entry level standards for all medical wavers. Asthma (493)??

Be advised, Recruiter have quotas and they will try their wildest to fill them, as such, you may get a stretch on your wavers,, for a little while.. But it will probably bite you in the *** before you finish..

At one time only 1 in 15 troops were shooters. There are many satisfying MOS 's that don't get to WIN Purple Hearts..

PS: Merry Christmas..

Merry Christmas to you as well. DOL

 

[the ringo kid]

You need to see a specialist. Carry an emergency inhaler (not called a "sprayer") at all times. This will be albuterol under several brand names like Proventil or Pro-Air. I prefer the latter because the unit is smaller than others and has a counter on the frame, so you know how many puffs are left. Carry a pocket notebook and record its use and that of other meds so you don't overuse or skip a dose of anything, like Breo or Advair, if the doctor places you on them. Using Advair greatly lessens the frequency with which I have to use the emergency inhaler. One may keep you off of Prednisone, if your asthma is bad enough.


I seldom have to use my nebulizer, but if I need it, it can keep me out of the emergency room.


Your doctor will probably want to do a series of skin tests to determine which allergens and foods you're allergic to. I think living in a coastal area has harmed your asthma. The heavier air is harder to breath and you may be ingesting allergens that aren't present further inland, like some molds and fungus. If you have added trouble breathing in rainy weather, my doc told me that it's because the moisture-laden air is heavier.


The medications aren't cheap. A single Advair diskus costs over $300. I don't know your financial status, but contact Texas Health and Human Resources (211 on the phone) and apply for food stamps, the SNAP program, and for Extra Help with prescriptions via Social Security if your income is low enough.


You need to determine how bad your asthma is and begin formal treatment. You may well be at serious risk.


Be very alert to attacks. For instance, I told the waiter and the manager in a Mexican restaurant not to include anything in my meal that contained jalapeno peppers, to which I'm very allergic. The stupid cook broiled my chicken breast on a grill where he'd just been cooking jalapenos. The juice residue cooked into the chicken and I had a severe attack. Only my inhaler saved me. An ambulance would have been too late.


The air today in most metropolitan areas is very dirty. Pay attention to the weatherman if he gives Orange or Red Alert days when its worst. Stay indoors then.


Avoid cities like Los Angeles or Mexico City, which have severe smog problems.

I get to see my dr. in about 2 weeks, I will ask him to see about getting tested. We have extremely bad mold probs here. The apartment rented to me had a mold infestation which the maintenance didnt destroy before covering it up with a coat of paint. I killed most of it myself--but enough still in the ceiling and some walls-I can still smell it. Im hoping to move before my next lease renewal - I bet that places mold is whats bothering me.

Ive used Albuterol before-probably time I get back on it.

 

[the ringo kid]

I contracted a lung disease many years ago and as a result I have some asthma, hardly take any meds for it, a little in cold weather. Meds fixed the lung disease and I was fine for many years. Then a couple years ago I get sick again and cant breath, congestion, etc. Turns out I have a second lung disease, not related to first and no cure. I have auto immune issues. I go to National Jewish in Denver, best people in the world. Over the years I have talked to numerous people taking asthma meds. If things didnt sound right I always suggest dumping the local doc for this stuff as the lungs are very complicares. I am amazed at how many find out it is something else, not asthma. VCD is very common - vocal coard disfunction and acts like asthma. There can be lung problems but the meds only work on a certain portion of the lungs. I am blessed to have the best doctor ever, she saved my life twice.

I do have a bit of vocal cord probs where it gets worse the harder I try to say some words. I plan on bringing that up to my Drs attention when I visit in Jan. Mine I THINK?? are due to my neurological probs which caused me to get brain surgery. I do wat tested for it too--if not for anaything else but to know for sure.

 

[the ringo kid]

Back to the original question, the men in, Blackhawk Down were a mix of Rangers and Delta Force. America's most elite soldiers... Do you really think any of them can have asthma and be tolerated in those units?
I doubt SEALS or Force Recon Marines can have asthma, either. Ditto for USAF Spec. Ops.


Either the man in the pic isn't using an asthma inhaler, or the movie people have probably made a massive error.
He may have had a lung infection that caused him to temporarily need an inhaler, but not for chronic asthma.


Bear in mind that this movie, like the real incident that it portrayed, was set in 1993, not in the Vietnam era. The US Military had long been a volunteer force.


For those unfamiliar with this, two of the real NCO's portrayed received the Medal of Honor (posthumously) for their valor.


I think I have the DVD. Need to watch it again. My nephew served near there last year, in a Naval unit based ashore.

The two Sergeants who recieved the Medal of Honor posthumously were Gordon and Shugart.

The scene in question was a short one and only showed the soldier in question for a few seconds-puffing once or twice. I THINK, that was when they were going back out???

I did find it difficult to think any special Forces types would have and use an inhaler.

 

[the ringo kid]

Black Hawk Down OST [FULL] - YouTube


This impresses me so much that I definitely need to get out the DVD and see this powerful film again.

You will not be disappointed. Since it came out having first seen it in theater-ive watched it an estimated 40 times--just not lately.

 

[the ringo kid]

Black Hawk Down OST [FULL] - YouTube


This impresses me so much that I definitely need to get out the DVD and see this powerful film again.

You will not be disappointed. Since it came out having first seen it in theater-ive watched it an estimated 40 times--just not lately.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

UPDATE - I found the answer!

Good afternoon:

Sorry for reviving what might be construed as a "zombie thread", but I found the correct answer to the OP's (The Ringo Kid) original question, and I felt compelled to provide the correction.

There actually was a young Ranger with asthma as portrayed in the movie. That Ranger was Specialist 4 Steve Anderson and his story can be found on page 88 of Mark Bowden's "Black Hawk Down - A Story of Modern War"

Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden, Paperback | Barnes & Noble(R)

The book indicates that Anderson was so determined to serve as a soldier that he purposefully withheld information about his asthma when he enlisted in the Army. During Basic Training, he had a severe asthma attack and was sent to the hospital. His asthma attack was so severe that the members of his Basic Training group were later told that he had died.

A month later, one of his Basic Training group spotted him alive and well in Airborne school and learned that Anderson's determination had so impressed someone with enough pull that they not only allowed him to remain on active duty, but to also keep and use his inhaler.

Regards,

Dave

 

[JayFramer]

Great movie but I'll never forget that scene with the soldier... severely... injured by an RPG to his torso! I was young when I first watched that, God I'm glad I wasn't there!!