Blessed are the grunts. The ones who knock on the door, unaware of what awaits them. The ones who smell death and see blood in their enemy’s eyes. The ones whose bodies have been conditioned to endure all pain and fear no one but god. The ones who have mastered the art of killing. The ones who love their fellow infantrymen with a love so deep it hurts. Blessed are the 03s, the filthy animals who have earned the title. The ones who inflict violence for the sake of freedom. I pray the infantry gods always guide you home. May you prevail over your foes and be victorious in every war, especially the one within. Happy 03XX Month!
Project Athena is a DOPE (data on previous engagements) book for high frequency communications. It has been a work in progress for almost two years now. With the help of many colleagues and mentors, I have compiled the data and basic information from hundreds of HF radio shots. The idea was to put together a reference-type book with the intent to provide the infantry community with raw data on radio links, antenna construction, and atmospherics. The endstate is to increase awareness of the simplicity behind the fieldcraft aspect of using HF and provide small unit leaders with a reference pocket guide. I have carefully selected twenty shots ranging from 2-4000 kilometers between stations. Each radio shot tackles a unique aspect of HF propagation (i.e., terrain, distance between stations, time of day, etc.) and highlights different antenna setups, construction materials, and the environment. I also emphasized deficiencies in some antenna constructions so the community can learn from good, fair, and poor setups. I’ve been in the infantry my entire career, so any communications knowledge I possess comes from a few certified DOD schools and/or hands-on experience in the field. That said, this is precisely the audience I am trying to reach: the individuals going forward to do God’s work and know just enough to be dangerous but could use a reference guide of what worked under similar conditions so they do not have to reinvent the wheel. Project Athena will be published through Amazon KDP in the Spring of 2025.
