Toy Soldiers…

When I was growing up in Zambales in the early 80’s, we used to play “baril-barilan” (war games) and the whole neighborhood is our battlefield. Uninhabited lots simulate jungle terrain, neighbors overhead water tank as over watch posts, mango trees as ambush positions, neighbors compound for urban close quarters combat, you name it. We don’t have air soft pistols and rifles back then but my friend has a replica of a Tommy Gun and an M1 Garand and the rest either a plastic pistol bought from the market or simply your index finger and your thumb making an L shape simulating a gun. You just know you’re hit when you hear “Bang! Bang!” or “Ratatatatat!” or the soft tone single shot “bang..” that’s only used when you are able to sneak close to your enemy. Of course it may sound silly now, but back in the low-tech days, honesty in claiming to be hit is the rule of the game. I like guns because of the complexity behind it, I prefer not to handle the real thing either fire one.

So we grew up and computer games like “Counterstrike” have replaced our childhood game. I haven’t really improved with counterstrike and I remember my brother giving me a lot of headshots every time we square off. Instead, I got addicted playing SOCOM: US Navy Seals on the Playstation 2 where you play the alpha team leader of a four man fire team divided into Alpha and Bravo. You can play it online like the fast paced Counterstrike or you can play it offline with set and bonus mission objectives. There’s a lot of weapons to chose from, heavy machine guns, sub machine guns, rifles, shotguns, grenades, body armor etc. and each has its own use for a specific situation/mission. With close quarters, you’ll need a high fire rate weapon such as a submachine gun. In jungle settings, take your pick among sniper rifles such as SR-25 where you can attach a silencer or an assault M4 rifle also with silencer, the menacing AK-47, deadly M16 and the sniper come semi automatic grand dad M14 and many others. The outcome of each mission depends on how you have selected your weapons load out and of course your team tactics.


The Philippine Marines recently had an encounter in Basilan where they’ve conducted rescue operations for the kidnapped Italian Priest, Fr. Bossi, who’s already been freed. As their transport got stucked in the mud on their way back to base, they came under fire allegedly from 400 to 500 men believed to be MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) members and Abu Sayyaf. There were 14 Marines killed, 10 of which were beheaded, considered as the worst defeat of the corps in many years.

Watching the actual footage of the firefight by a GMA-7 TV reporter who was with the marines, you could feel the confusion and the condition of our troops who were outnumbered 8 to 1. Ambushed, surrounded by almost a battalion of enemy combatants, it’s considered a feat that the marines were not decimated. In any combat situation, malfunctions, misfires, weapons jams are a given but when I saw the way mortar rounds misfire not just once or twice, government troops are at a loosing end. After the investigation conducted by AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), they found out that moisture might have affected the performance of munitions. They also recommended that storage of mortar rounds be changed from paper tubes to plastic containers that I think is expensive. Maybe if they place silicon desiccants inside each container, it might solve the problem with moisture? We have a history of copying everything American; I am wondering if our military cared to follow military quality standards set by the US?

I’ve watched a lot of war movies and there’s a lesson to be learned in watching these films. One of my favorites is “Black Hawk Down.” There is a scene in the movie where one soldier bragged that the operation would be finished quickly that he doesn’t have to wear body armor and so when things gets out of hand he died because of that mistake. Troops of other countries see the need of protecting their soldiers by making them wear body armor even on patrols/guard duty. Our soldiers have all the necessary training and tactics but as you would see on TV, they enter hostile territories with minimal or no body armor at all. Body armor will cost our government a lot if we are to give each and every soldier his own. I guess it wouldn’t hurt if only military personnel conducting special missions are given the needed protection. Body armor increases survivability of soldiers and even their morale and effectiveness in combat.

For the mean time, they have to do their job with what they have and when they break… they bleed… no special adhesive can put them back in one piece.