Dear Geraldo -
I'm not a fan, but neither do I wish you to suicide by ineptness.
Mid-firefight, still filming, running about in a half-crouch, in a white shirt, unarmed, with a mic in your hand....
1) When it's raining lead out, make love to mother earth - journalism is for *LATER*. See if the nice security person you hired is carrying a spare he/she can loan you. Ideally, a spare *RIFLE*. Stick with semi-auto, aimed fire. Conserve your ammunition.
2) Don't wear things that pick you out against the landscape. Unlike the studio, in the combat zone, contrast *is not your friend*. Mid-firefight, especially. Conversely, attire that is projectile resistant and that allows you to blend into the background *IS* your friend. "Center of Attention" when under fire is always bad.
3) If you come under fire, seek COVER (concealment is a poor second best, but may be all you have available). Cover stops bullets and things, concealment doesn't.
4) If, while under fire, you *MUST* move, the butt-down crawl is your friend. Crab-crawl at maximum speed to the next chunk of cover unless instructed by your handler to do otherwise.
5) Familiarize yourself w/ your companions weapons - battlefield drops happen. Works out better when you know how to operate what you pick up. Don't forget to pick up the ammo while you're at it.
6) In general famous faces and front lines are an especially bad combination from both a hostage value and terror value viewpoints. Think about this. Send a junior and relatively unknown reporter - the odds of their survival if captured are higher.
And my point of view? It just plain *hurts* to see an allegedly intelligent and experienced individual making such fundamental mistakes that could get them dead or worse. Please make the pain stop, and start being a bit more sensible.
Kisses,
GC
I'm not a fan, but neither do I wish you to suicide by ineptness.
Mid-firefight, still filming, running about in a half-crouch, in a white shirt, unarmed, with a mic in your hand....
1) When it's raining lead out, make love to mother earth - journalism is for *LATER*. See if the nice security person you hired is carrying a spare he/she can loan you. Ideally, a spare *RIFLE*. Stick with semi-auto, aimed fire. Conserve your ammunition.
2) Don't wear things that pick you out against the landscape. Unlike the studio, in the combat zone, contrast *is not your friend*. Mid-firefight, especially. Conversely, attire that is projectile resistant and that allows you to blend into the background *IS* your friend. "Center of Attention" when under fire is always bad.
3) If you come under fire, seek COVER (concealment is a poor second best, but may be all you have available). Cover stops bullets and things, concealment doesn't.
4) If, while under fire, you *MUST* move, the butt-down crawl is your friend. Crab-crawl at maximum speed to the next chunk of cover unless instructed by your handler to do otherwise.
5) Familiarize yourself w/ your companions weapons - battlefield drops happen. Works out better when you know how to operate what you pick up. Don't forget to pick up the ammo while you're at it.
6) In general famous faces and front lines are an especially bad combination from both a hostage value and terror value viewpoints. Think about this. Send a junior and relatively unknown reporter - the odds of their survival if captured are higher.
And my point of view? It just plain *hurts* to see an allegedly intelligent and experienced individual making such fundamental mistakes that could get them dead or worse. Please make the pain stop, and start being a bit more sensible.
Kisses,
GC
Nonsense!
ReplyDeleteStick your head up, Geraldo, and tell us what's going on!