Comments from Michael Yon's Blog, from a British soldier:

"I know that, in the past, us Brits have rather banged on about our COIN experience and there is a natural (and not necessarily unhelpful) rivalry between US and UK forces that has existed for 70 odd years. But there is deep respect for the US military in the British Army, but particularly the US Army and USMC with which we have more contact, especially the doctrinal transformation over the past few years. This goes from the lowest level, for example the Scottish infantry soldiers working with the MEU in Garmsir in 2008, to the highest levels of our command.

Let me give you just one example. In July 2006 a Danish soldier working under UK command in Helmand was grievously wounded in a rather beleaguered (it was under repeated direct and indirect fire) outpost in Helmand – if I remember correctly it was Musa Qaleh. The compound was too small for a Chinook to land to get the casualty out and the UK's small helicopters could not fly in the day time because of the extreme heat and altitude. The soldier was dying and he couldn't wait. A battle-group level hasty air assault operation was planned to secure a landing zone nearby in Taleban dominated area and the intent was for the small garrison to fight its way out to get the casualty to that landing zone. There was no doubt, not only must we expect to take further casualties, we could lose a Chinook. Then, a US Blackhawk medical helicopter swept in and then out of the compound with the casualty who I know was still alive when he later made it home to Denmark. The whole attitude, despite the acute risk involved, was one of "no problem, anytime, just ask", as we say, "normal jogging". Yet, no one who knew of that single event would have had anything other than the greatest admiration for those involved and the organization to which they belonged."