Someones ass is on the carpet for this to be sure. Wow
YouTube: Paktika Province, Afghanistan - After spotting Taliban forces on a distant ridge line, U.S. Army mortar teams engage with 60mm mortars. A simultaneous airstrike is called in which accidentally drops a 500 pound bomb on a U.S. Army infantry outpost, mistaking the position for Taliban fighters.
Luckily there were no friendly casualties in this rare incident, due to the First Sergeant's decision to bring everyone to "stand to" before the drop. It is still unclear what caused the pilot to target the wrong position.
"If it wasn't for the decision of our First Sergeant, three of our guys would have died in that wooden building which was shredded by shrapnel."
7 Comments
PaybackFirst Sergeant does the job right.
Drachen_Jagersays...It's amateur night in Afghanistan, yeehaw!
Unsurprising, really, considering the first Iraq war, 3/4ths of the American casualties were "friendly" (American) fire.
I talked with some Brit soldiers not long after they came back from Iraq #1, they said their Colonel went to liaise with his American counterpart in a Scorpion light tank. The American Colonel stared at their vehicle in amazement, "What the hell kind of Bradley is that?"
Asmosays...Reminds me of this A-10 strafing run that fell close to Brit troops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAkzrxN5Jn0
eric3579That friendly fire can be such an annoyance.
Sniper007says...If friendly fire doesn't get you, suicide will. More US soldiers die from suicide than enemy fire. The few. The proud. The deceived.![](https://videosift.com/vs5/emoticon/frown.gif)
ReefieSo not only do they get the wrong target, but they miss - twice.
TrancecoachYour tax dollars at work.
The Army, the DMV, same level of state efficiency and competence.
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