GENWiki

                           MURPHY'S LAWS OF COMBAT
      
      1.  You are not superman.
      
      2.  Recoilless rifles aren't.
      
      3.  Suppressive fire won't.
      
      4.  If it's stupid, but works, it ain't stupid.  (Applies to 
          computer hardware and software also).
      
      5.  Don't look conspicuous.  It draws fire.
      
      6.  Never draw fire.  It irritates everyone around you.
      
      7.  When in doubt, empty the magazine.
      
      8.  Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you are.
      
      9.  Your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.
      
      10. If your attack is really going well, it's an ambush.
      
      11. If you can't remember, the Claymore is pointed towards you.
      
      12. All five second grenade fuses are three seconds.
      
      13. Try to look unimportant.  They may be low on ammo.
      
      14. If you are forward of your position, the artillery will be 
          short.
      
      15. The enemy diversion you are ignoring is the main attack.
      
      16. The easy way is always mined.
      
      17. The important things are very simple.
      
      18. The simple things are very hard.
      
      19. If you are short of everything except enemy, you are in 
          combat.
      
      20. No OPLAN survives first contact intact.
      
      21. When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the 
          enemy, and CNN.
      
      22. Incoming fire has right-of-way.
      
      23. No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection.
      
      24. No inspection-ready unit has ever passed combat.
    
      25. Teamwork is essential. It gives the enemy more people to 
          shoot at.
      
      26. If the enemy is within range, so are you.
      
      27. Beer math is 2 beers x 37 men - 49 cases.
      
      28. Body count is 2 enemy soldiers + 1 palm tree + 1 water 
          buffalo = 37 KIA.
      
      29. Friendly fire isn't.
      
      30. Anything you do can get you shot, including doing nothing.
      
      31. Make it tough for the enemy to get in, and you can't get out.
      
      32. Tracers work both ways.
      
      33. The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is 
          incoming friendly fire.
      
      34. Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support desperate-
          ly.
      
      35. If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will 
          have more than your fair share to take.
      
      36. Both sides are convinced they are about to loose.  Both sides 
          are right.
      
      37. Professionals are predictable, but the world is full of 
          amateurs.
      
      38. Murphy was a grunt.

      Terms defined by item, in military form:

      R760A3.  Suppressive fire is designed to keep the "bad guys" from 
      moving about or advancing while the "good guys" are trying to do 
      the same thing..  Something like one cop providing cover fire for 
      another cop who is trying to get close to a "bad guy".
      
      NRDG575-X7.  A magazine contains x-number of bullets.  If you hear
      some thing that comes from where nothing should be, empty the magazine 
      at the sound...if you don't hit someone or something, you will 
      scare the @#$ out of him.  The basic mentality for this is that 
      if someone is out there where they don't belong, they deserve to 
      get hit.
      
      9.  Applies to almost all military equipment (planes, ships, 
      submarines, tanks, bombs, bullets, etc).
      
      NOPER-CX11.  A claymore is an anti-personnel mine filled with things
      like shotgun shot, small sharp pieces of metal, etc.  It is connected 
      to the detonator by wires, and fired by a small switch.  Usually 
      placed on or near perimeters and fired at large groups of people.  
      The load will "shred" those that are hit.  The claymore has a 
      distinct front and back, which will hopefully help the person aim 
      it in the correct direction.
      
      ?PLANHXV-20.  An OPLAN is a document that outlines the best case
      scenario that should happen during the course of an operation, or in
      the event of hostilities.  It is basically a crystal ball for the 
      outcome of a battle.  Very rarely are they even close to correct, 
      but senior officers like them because they are usually written 
      according to the way the seniors want the action to go vice the 
      way it will probably turn out.
      
      29.  Friendly fire is fire originating from the "good guys".  It 
      is commonly referred to as "outgoing fire".  Friendly fire has a 
      bad habit of getting friendlies, especially when being conducted 
      by new or inexperienced troops (or led by 2nd Lt's.)
      
      RDX9LDF-32.  Tracer rounds are placed about every 5-10 round.
      Designed to burn when fired, providing a light that can be seen.
      Used at night to make sure of accuracy of aim.  In the videos of
      anti-air fire in Iraq, you could see a lot of tracer rounds.  
      
      35.  The better job you do will usually mean that you will be 
      assigned more to do.
      
      MURP-38P.  A grunt is the basic infantryman, or front-line foxhole 
      troop. Murphy was a grunt.

      Modified by AV-SYNC (404) 320-6202