I spend several years as a live-fire training Range Safety Officer and Range Officer. I came to appreciate Murphy's Laws of Combat:
Murphy's Laws of Combat
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You are not Superman.
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Recoilless rifles aren't.
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Suppressive fire won't.
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If it's stupid, but works, it's not stupid.
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Don't look conspicuous. It draws fire.
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Never draw fire. It makes everyone around you nervous.
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When in doubt, empty the magazine.
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Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you.
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Always keep in mind that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.
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If your attack is going well, it's an ambush.
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If you can't remember . . . the claymore is probably pointed at you.
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All five second grenade fuses are three seconds.
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Try to look unimportant. The enemy may be low on ammo.
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If you are forward of your position the artillery will be short.
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The enemy diversion you're ignoring is the main attack.
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The easy way is always mined.
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The important things are always simple.
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The simple things are always hard.
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When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy.
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Incoming fire has the right of way.
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No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.
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No inspection ready unit has ever passed combat.
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Teamwork is essential. It gives the enemy other people to shoot at.
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If the enemy is in range, so are you.
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Friendly fire isn't.
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Anything you can do can get you shot ... including doing nothing.
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Make it too tough for the enemy to get in ... and you can't get out.
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Tracers work both ways.
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The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.
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Radios will fail as soon as you need something desperately.
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When both sides are convinced they are about to lose . . . they are both right.
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Professionals are predictable, but the world is full of amateurs.
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All weather close support doesn't work in bad weather.
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The bursting radius of a grenade is always one foot greater than your jumping range.
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The only terrain that is truly controlled is the terrain upon which you're standing.
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The law of the bayonet says the man with the bullet wins.
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REMFs are everywhere.
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The best tank killer is another tank. Therefore tanks are always fighting each other . . . and have no time to help the infantry.
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Remember, your weapons and equipment were made by the lowest bidder.
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Precision bombing is normally accurate within plus/minus one mile.
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Cluster bombing from B-52s and C-130s is very, very accurate. They always hit the ground.
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Murphy was an 11 Bush (militarese for the Infantry MOS - 11B)
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Perfect plans aren't.
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The easy way generally gets you killed.
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The side with the fanciest uniforms losses.
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Armored vehicles are bullet magnets; a moving foxhole that attracts attention.
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If you are short of everything except enemy, you're in combat.
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No plan survives the first few seconds of combat.
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Ammo is cheap; your life isn't.
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It's easier to expend material in combat than to fill out the forms for Graves Registration.
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If you can't see the enemy, they still may be able to see you.
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Final protective fire doesn't.
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You can win without fighting, but it's a lot tougher to do. And the enemy may not cooperate.