Murphy's Laws of Combat: 

1.If the enemy is in range, so are you. 

2.Incoming fire has the right of way. 

3.Don't look conspicuous; it draws fire. ( For this reason aircraft
carriers have been called "Bomb Magnets") 

4.There is always a way. 

5.The easy way is always mined. 

6.Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammo. (Trivia
devotees will recall the sudden disappearance of 
rank and distinctive caps on the uniforms worn by Soviet officers
in Afghanistan) 

7.Professionals are predictable, it's the amateurs that are
dangerous. 

8.The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions: a. when you're
ready for them. b. when you're not ready for 
them. 

9.Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at. 

10.If you can't remember, then the claymore is pointed at you. 

11.The enemy diversion you have been ignoring will be the main
attack. 

12.A "sucking chest wound" is nature's way of telling you to slow
down. 

13.If your attack is going well, you have walked into an ambush. 

14.Never draw fire, it irritates everyone around you. 

15.Anything you do can get you shot, including nothing. 

16.Make it tough enough for the enemy to get in and you won't be
able to get out. (This seems to be the guiding 
design principle behind the Soviet's BMP and our Bradley infantry
vehicle, both of which nicely package the 
troops in armored boxes for group destruction) 

17.Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself. 

18.If you're short of everything but the enemy, you're in a combat
zone. 

19.When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy. 

20.Never forget that your weapon is made by the lowest bidder. 

21.Friendly fire isn't. 

22.If the sergeant can see you, so can the enemy. 

23.Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down,
never stay awake when you can sleep. 

24.The most dangerous thing in the world is a second lieutenant
with a map and a compass. 

25.There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole. 

26.A grenade with a seven second fuse will always burn down in four
seconds. 

27.Remember, a retreating enemy is probably just falling back and
regrouping. 

28.If at first you don't succeed call in an air-strike. 

29.Exceptions prove the rule, and destroy the battle plan. 

30.Everything always works in your HQ, everything always fails in
the colonel's HQ.