Breacher question...

I believe modern special operations have evolved beyond the concept of 'pointmen'.

ShakKen
Infiltration
3D artist

and if you do want to have a shotgun and lots of armor, um, just choose a shotgun and lots of armor...

WHAT! Something like this 'pointman' exist(ed)?
Can someone explain me exactly, what this pointman really is?

Neo
I N F I L T R A T I O N
Sound Engineer

pointman?

Well AFAIK the pointman was or is the person at in front of the team. At least with the SEALs in Nam it was so. Usually he was equipped with a CAR-15 or Stoner, and responsible for leading the patrol through booby traps and looking out for enemies etc.
Still this was not a single man job, but every member of the Team could become pointman - especially true for the rear-guard, who had to be point in case of retreat.
I doubt there still is(or has ever been..) a special dedicated pointman in any SOF; I'd rather say it was the designation for the man in front.

Snakeye /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothin

[This message was edited by Snakeye on Jun 25, 2000 at 13:36.]

heh sounds like these pointmen have the lowest life expetancies of the entire squad /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
i heard somewhere that they put rookies at point in nam... is this true?

It is impossible for the glass to be half full or half empty for you see: there is no glass

heheh

heh, what insurance company would even consider the fella? /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

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Shit Happens... and with great regularity too. We just have to deal with it one turd at a time.

Life expectations for pointmen in SEAL teams and other special operation forces weren't all that bad, but in standard infantry platoons you better started praying.

Snakeye /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing

For the most part, most modern special forces units are into the buddy pair system. 1 up and 1 down.

ShakKen
Infiltration
3D artist

yo seeker wassup baby? say hello to all the 4c guys for me

ummmm i just got dun watching this show on SWAT teams and Tactics on discovery channel and i think its more of a police swat team breaching drug dealers houses and stuff that do that, they take 2 dudes and give them 50 to 75lb kevlar sheilds and shotguns and then all the swat team basically hide behind the 2 of them with their guns aimed past the 2 pointmen in all different directions, a separate guy opens the door and the team of like 6 to 8 guys breaches the door and spreads in a preplanned fashion with the doorman trailing, thats what ur talking about i think, and i think its more of an LAPD swat team tactic then a military tactic, i hope that gave u the idea of what he meant Neo /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

crappy job if u ask me........haha pointman no thanks