Ad hominem attacks because some one doesn't share your opinion? That's low..

Do you think everyone who doesn't applaud you comments is an american neocon? Grow up!

EOD for me.

That may be a lot more explosive, but visually, this video is more exciting:

http://videosift.com/video/Civillian-EOD-contractors-detonating-100-tons-of-dynamite

The thumbnail image for this video has been updated - thumbnail added by geo321.

The thumbnail image for this video has been updated - thumbnail added by vaporlock.

Rules of engagement now have gotten so strict that apparently if the bad guys throw down their guns and run away you can no longer shoot at them. So they run away and jump into another weapons stash to kill someone another day.

So why would you fire a warning shot?

Of course in 2007 the rules of engagement would apparently have been a little more "loose" for something like this to have happened. I'm not trained military personnel but I would have mistaken the camera for an RPG peeking around the corner. Plus we (You and I) most likely don't have to deal with the daily grind of being in a war zone and watching a parade of coffins with our friends - or bits of your friends - go back home.
With that in your mind, if you see something that looks even remotely like an RPG you would probably have your finger itching on the trigger too. EOD aren't the only guys that get stressed. Don't know what I'm talking about? Watch "The Hurt Locker".
I'm not saying I condone or agree with what happened, only that I'm not one to judge. My guess is that most people commenting in here aren't either. Certainly without ever having been in combat or in Iraq.

There was an excellent article about US Army EODs in Playboy in 2005. Though some of the information is surely outdated by now (we have made some amazing advances in warfare in the last 6 years) it's still worth a read for anyone interested in this aspect of the war.

Here's a link to a censored, reasonably SFW copy of the article: http://www.brownorigin.com/ArmyEODNews/Armyeodonplayboy1.htm

>> ^Djevel:
>> ^cybrbeast:
. EOD are not snipers!

From what I understand, EOD personnel are trained in the use of the Barret for long range explosive detonation.

I guess you're right

http://www.americanspecialops.com/special-ops-weapons/barrett-sniper-rifle.php
However I doubt they would have the skill and endurance of real snipers. And it's still ridiculous that the British special ops were taken out like pansies and couldn't even repair their own tire.

>> ^cybrbeast:
. EOD are not snipers!


From what I understand, EOD personnel are trained in the use of the Barret for long range explosive detonation. I can buy them taking out an entrenched enemy sniper, especially one bunkered in a lone structure out in the middle of nowhere (although this particular enemy sniper was pretty damn effective), but yeah...I agree that tagging the runner was a bit of a stretch.

I really did not like this movie. I just couldn't suspend my disbelief. I'm not an army guy but this movie was clearly ridiculous.

*spoilers*
First, them casually walking up to the bombs, they have those robots for a reason. But this is far from the worst.
They meet a special forces team and come under attack from an enemy sniper, presumably using a low tech sniper gun. The special ops fire back with a Barret 50 cal and miss. Then the special ops guy is killed by the enemy sniper. Now the guy from the EOD takes over the sniper rifle and sits in exactly the same place. He can't fire because there's blood on his bullets so he casually waits there (in the sight of the enemy sniper) till the bullets are cleaned. He misses a few shots and then finally gets the sniper. Then suddenly his skills increase tenfold because he hits a running Iraqi in one shot. EOD are not snipers!
Then there is the part in the city to a bomb site, and then run into a random city block looking for the bombers. And then they split up. WTF?
I'm sure there was more crap that I can't think of at the moment.

The movie tries to convey this gritty realism but then fails big time. I really can't understand all the praise it gets.

>> ^Throbbin:
Mackie's character did say he ahd spent 7 years in intelligence prior to his EOD deployment. It's not that hard to be a spotter. Handling a rifle itself is not very hard, and I don't have any military training. I've handled a .50 (never fired one) - and it's just a bigger, heavier version of other rifles. What's the big deal?
After the sniper shoots Fiennes' character, he took cover to remain hidden. Seems perfectly reasonable to me - it's what I would do.

i still don't think any sane person would take that chance and go up there 'blind'. one of the few things you know is that the other sniper has a bead right on that spot where the gun is still sitting. and you're gonna go up there, hoping he's in the middle of re-locating, or just not paying attention to the big fuck-off rifle that may be used against him and then you have to find him and kill him before he does the same to you. that seems to be putting a lot of faith in the other guy's incompetence... i mean, what happens if there was more than one of them?

>> ^Throbbin:
Mackie's character did say he ahd spent 7 years in intelligence prior to his EOD deployment. It's not that hard to be a spotter. Handling a rifle itself is not very hard, and I don't have any military training. I've handled a .50 (never fired one) - and it's just a bigger, heavier version of other rifles. What's the big deal?
After the sniper shoots Fiennes' character, he took cover to remain hidden. Seems perfectly reasonable to me - it's what I would do.
I think you folks exaggerate.


Trainees typically shoot thousands of rounds over a number of weeks, while learning these core skills.

You do not go from rifleman to sniper in a matter of minutes. It takes alot of training to condition the reptilian brain to create "Muscle Memory. It's more scientific name is Neuromuscular_facilitation, muscles by themselves do not remember, and have no capability of remembering.

Mackie's character did say he ahd spent 7 years in intelligence prior to his EOD deployment. It's not that hard to be a spotter. Handling a rifle itself is not very hard, and I don't have any military training. I've handled a .50 (never fired one) - and it's just a bigger, heavier version of other rifles. What's the big deal?

After the sniper shoots Fiennes' character, he took cover to remain hidden. Seems perfectly reasonable to me - it's what I would do.

I think you folks exaggerate.

Yeah I thought this movie was garbage, mainly because I couldn't get over all the completely unrealistic situations they were in. One of which is the fact that most soldiers, let alone EOD techs, are not going to be able to seamlessly become a sniper/spotter team, especially with a Barrett .50.

Ah. If you look at and click on the video title above your comment (in your personal comment listing), you'll notice it is: http://www.videosift.com/video/100-ton-bomb-explodes-BOOM-Watch-the-shockwave whereas the video you think you commented on is: http://www.videosift.com/video/Civillian-EOD-contractors-detonating-100-tons-of-dynamite

The one you actually commented on is a dupe of the other and when you go to the dupe you're being redirected to the other.

In reply to this comment by deathcow:
it does show in my comments though.. 10th or 11th comment down


In reply to this comment by lucky760:
When did you post the comment? There's no record of it in the database, so it seems it was never saved.

In reply to this comment by deathcow:
hmmm I have a comment on this video
http://www.videosift.com/video/Civillian-EOD-contractors-detonating-100-tons-of-dynamite

not showing... but it exists

it does show in my comments though.. 10th or 11th comment down


In reply to this comment by lucky760:
When did you post the comment? There's no record of it in the database, so it seems it was never saved.

In reply to this comment by deathcow:
hmmm I have a comment on this video
http://www.videosift.com/video/Civillian-EOD-contractors-detonating-100-tons-of-dynamite

not showing... but it exists