Another new proverb (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill AMRDEC]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

>From the ever-reliable Wikipedia: "The plan called for a minimum of six
helicopters; eight were sent in."  Per the SEAL's comment below, there
should have been twelve.  Other assets were also one deep.

Yes, the haboob was a proximate cause of failure, but a well-planned and
executed mission would have had a work-around for such a problem.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
Behalf Of
> Jonathan Lighter
> Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 4:40 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Another new proverb (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
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> -
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Another new proverb (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
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> -
>
> Bill, as I recall "redundancy" wasn't the problem. What did the
mission in
> was the haboob.
>
> JL
>
> On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 4:57 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
> Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> > Subject:      Re: Another new proverb (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >
> >
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> ---
> >
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
> > The truth of this saying was driven home by the failure to send
> > redundant assets during Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to
> > rescue the hostages in Iran in 1980.  I'd imagine that event was
> > important in the origins of this saying.
> >
> > > >
> > > > Former SEAL on CNN: "In the SEAL teams we say, 'Two is one; one
is
> > none.'"
> > > >
> > > > In other words, if you have only one, expect it to fail. That's
why
> > two
> > > > helicopters went after Bin Laden. One failed.
> > > >
> > > > GB takes this back (probably) to 1994-95, almost unanimously in
> > military
> > > > contexts, and, indeed, especially among SEALs.  I've encountered
it
> > before,
> > > > but only within the past four or five years.
> > > >
> > > > GB suggests that the phrase was originally part of a children's
> > counting
> > > > rhyme. I guess they lived in a high-crime area.
> > > >
> > > > JL
> >  >
> >
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