dont they have rules about NOT playing with bombs the day before you are scheduled to go home?

"I got bad feeling about this one"

/catch-22

I have yet to meet an EOD guy who was not totally insane. Awesome people, all.

RIP, Sarn't. Damn few people like you.

How so very sad. RIP you brave solider.

At least here in America - now that Karzai has "won" the election - Obama will be able to make up his mind as to what we are going to do with our troops over there in just a few more weeks.
Of course he has been saying that for many months now. Oh, and then we had to wait for an answer from Obama until the Afghan election was settled. You know there was only two candidates in contention for that election, you would think Obama could have figured out an answer based on the very limited number outcomes the election would have generated. Should have appointed a czar for it or something.

Oh yeah, and he was elected almost a year ago and the Afghan War was going on then - I remember reading about it or something. But then I guess that's okay. As more American servicemen and women die every day I suppose we can just take our time trying to figure out whether to send more troops as the military brass has requested or do something else - or do nothing. And you're GD right I'm pissed - Bush was horrible, but at least he could make an f'ing decision.

steelpeg: And you're GD right I'm pissed

That is so awesome. Let's piss on this guy's service to give you a platform to espouse your beliefs.

Stay classy, Bro.

NewportBarGuy: Let's piss on this guy's service to give you a platform to espouse your beliefs.

I'm sorry you missed this:
steelpeg: How so very sad. RIP you brave solider.

I'm just tired of all the deaths - some of which have hit home to me. And a lot of Farkers, like yourself, will only post "sweet" comments about the very few heroes that are greenlit on FARK. How special. Where have you been for the other almost a thousand other hero deaths in Afghanistan alone? Oh I forgot, Bush isn't in office and so it's OK to just sit back and wait on Obama to "make up his mind".

And by the way, this is not "the guy's service". This is FARK concerning an article that is going to be posted on the main page. Instead of spewing your ignorance in these comments, why don't you go to a fallen service member's actual service like many of the rest of us have? Oh, you are probably "too busy", and this is the best that you are willing to do...
BTW - I told you I'm pissed about this...

Breathe, damn it, you're hyperventilating.

/RIP soldier.

steelpeg: I'm sorry you missed this:
steelpeg: How so very sad. RIP you brave solider.

Your logic is so much like, "I have black friends so I'm not racist, but..." Just shut up and be respectful, like the rest of the polite, sane community. Leave the politics to those in its respective tab.

That said...

RIP, Mr. Braver-Than-Me-Bomb-Disarmer-Guy. :(

steelpeg: How so very sad. RIP you brave solider.

This is a thread about the death of a Hero.

Take your politics and attack on the President elsewhere. There are plenty of threads where you can do that.

/BD"E, and my thoughts are with his family.

So very sad. RIP Hero.

Thank you for doing a job I never could.

Thank you.

Aw Cheese & Crackers. That's a kick in the knickers.

and it sucks too.

If I'm not mistaken, these guys (EOD) are required to sit down and write their own obituaries before they even begin their tour. For some reason it puts them in a mindset where they can kinda say "Well, that's done with, let's get to work." Somehow this is supposed to make them more relaxed while staring at 200 lbs. of unstable explosive. Anyone care to confirm or deny this?

Tatsuma: Take your politics and attack on the President elsewhere.

When said from 2001-2009, the Left answered: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA STFU!"
And when said today, the Right answers: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA STFU!"

Same shiat, different assholes.

Damn retirony.

/RIP

steelpeg: As more American servicemen and women die every day I suppose we can just take our time trying to figure out whether to send more troops as the military brass has requested or do something else - or do nothing.

An emotional decision with no long term plan and no consideration for years after expending the majority of our military resources in an utterly unrelated country is the rationale which allowed this poor soldier to die. However, we lost an apparently highly talented serviceperson, and a wife lost a husband, and we are all worse for the necessary sacrifices of our brave men and women overseas. This is more important to keep with us than the little soapbox you have there.

RIP hero

/Canuck here

Seems like there should be some kind of policy like the bomber squads had in WWII. Disarm 50 bombs and you can go home or something.

Question for someone that knows more about this than I do. Why don't they detonate the bombs up remotely?

Comments below TFA:

"Use Taliban prisoners to de-fuse any IUDs."

IUDs? That's some dangerous foreplay there!

GYSGT Michael Burghardt gives the one finger salute to Iraqis after being injured by an IED.

backdoor_nut_sucker
Comments below TFA:

"Use Taliban prisoners to de-fuse any IUDs."

IUDs? That's some dangerous foreplay there!

I'm not sure if they'd know where to look for one of those and even if they did, they'd just declare the owner a harlot and stone her to death.

Do they have harlots?

zuce: Question for someone that knows more about this than I do. Why don't they detonate the bombs up remotely?

They do detonate the bombs remotely. However, in order to do that you have to go near the bomb and set up your device, ie what this soldier was doing and his bad luck hit and it went off. Shiat happens, i know too many good people who have died over there and it sucks.

/RIP Sgt. Job well done

Just like the old saying, "if you play with fire you're gonna get burned"!

Ever see a carpenter who was not missing a fingertip, or two or three ?

:(

RIP Hero

zuce: Question for someone that knows more about this than I do. Why don't they detonate the bombs up remotely?

Sometimes it's either too close to civilians, or it may damage a vital road or sometimes they even want to see what it's made of so they can find out who made it and what new techniques they are using. There are a lot of factors but detonating in place is one of the top choices.

Tatsuma: steelpeg: How so very sad. RIP you brave solider.

This is a thread about the death of a Hero.

Take your politics and attack on the President elsewhere. There are plenty of threads where you can do that.

/BD"E, and my thoughts are with his family.

Should'nt you be mourning the fact that it was not a suicide bomber that got em. I seem to recall your whole-hearted support of them a couple of weeks ago.

steelpeg: How so very sad. RIP you brave solider.

At least here in America - now that Karzai has "won" the election - Obama will be able to make up his mind as to what we are going to do with our troops over there in just a few more weeks.
Of course he has been saying that for many months now. Oh, and then we had to wait for an answer from Obama until the Afghan election was settled. You know there was only two candidates in contention for that election, you would think Obama could have figured out an answer based on the very limited number outcomes the election would have generated. Should have appointed a czar for it or something.

Oh yeah, and he was elected almost a year ago and the Afghan War was going on then - I remember reading about it or something. But then I guess that's okay. As more American servicemen and women die every day I suppose we can just take our time trying to figure out whether to send more troops as the military brass has requested or do something else - or do nothing. And you're GD right I'm pissed - Bush was horrible, but at least he could make an f'ing decision.



Doesn't rightly have any clue what the f*ck your flimsy, pansy ass is yammerin' about. Doesn't rightly give a sh*t, either.

/cram your misguided, ill-informed soapbox and show some respect.

last day, eh?



In all seriousness, the man is a hero. The nation, and world is worse off without him.

/something in my eye

In other news, soldiers die in wars...

This guy was more of a man than I'll ever be. God bless you soldier.

I'm with "thamike" on this one. I say we keep this clean and show this soldier some damned respect.

Can we shut down this rich man's war, now?

WAR IS OVER.

(if you want it)



All we are saying is give peace a chance

thamike:

Doesn't rightly have any clue what the f*ck your flimsy, pansy ass is yammerin' about. Doesn't rightly give a sh*t, either.

/cram your misguided, ill-informed soapbox and show some respect.

Really wanted to post a picture in reference to that movie, but my HTML-fu is weak. Thank you.

bunner: Can we shut down this rich man's war, now?



"Yeah, dudes. See ya later. Thanks for stopping by."

/or did you forget?

spartan6652: GYSGT Michael Burghardt gives the one finger salute to Iraqis after being injured by an IED.

Is it just me? Or does it look like that IED blew his pants off?

/RIP soldier.
//May you walk in fields of green clover forever.

RIP Sgt.

/you weren't worth 50 of the Afghani savages you saved.

I love this group of fair-weather war mongers that has cropped up. Regular peaceniks now that they can't play the "war is patriotic" card.

Anyhow, two days from retirement, etc.

Sucks.

Here's a question: if these things are set off remotely, don't we have something that can jam signals locally?

until we kill everyone of the ragheads down to the last baby there will never be peace in the middle east.


Too Much?

obama is a man of color, he doesnt know when to pull out

HotWingConspiracy: Here's a question: if these things are set off remotely, don't we have something that can jam signals locally?



RCIED signal jammer.

I don't generally comment on these stories, because I don't handle them well.
When i was a young man, I assumed that my heart would harden and my hide toughen in response to these things with age - as it has to most of life's cruelties and injustices. Indeed, after Nam, I thought nothing would ever bother me again. Hasn't worked out that way.
There just aren't any words to express how much I hate war. What a miserable, vile, filthy stinking waste. How many precious lives dumped down the apparently infinite pit of Man's insufferable hubris.

Farewell, brave soul. May you find peace - and so may the rest of us.

thamike: HotWingConspiracy: Here's a question: if these things are set off remotely, don't we have something that can jam signals locally?



RCIED signal jammer.

Sooo...I guess not everyone has access to them?

Olaf Schmid? Bloody hell, that was a Jerry spy!

Damn, that's harsh.

Godspeed, brave dude.

HotWingConspiracy: Sooo...I guess not everyone has access to them?

Some things aren't foolproof.

In Flanders Fields (1915)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

- John McCrae

The way these guys are dying, not in combat, but from these cowardly roadside bombs is beyond ridiculous.

They need to come home. If we wanted to fark with a country, we have a bomb for that.

Oh yeah, but we cant use it. They can only kill us.

Poor bastard, I wouldn't have traded positions with an EOD guy for all the money in the world, those guys were farking crazy.

And now, because this is a shaitload shorter than the DOD budget thread, a long, probably fairly incoherant rant. Feel free to ignore it, I just want to get it off my chest:

I have decided to change my stated position on the wars. I'm farking sick of them. I was there for the beginning of both of them, and thought then, and still think, that there were good reasons to head into both places, but that between the leadership then and the leadership now, they have completely farked everything up.

I landed in Afghanistan in November of 2001, and my wife is slated to deploy there summer of 2010. 9 years, billions of dollars, and that shiathole is arguably LESS secure than it was when I left it.

Ditto for Iraq. I was there in March of '03. My wife was with a Surge unit from '07-'08. Again, temporary gains in security that haven't lasted.

None of these farkers seem to want peace and security, so I say FARK THEM. I'm not against these wars because I think that they are morally wrong, or anything like that, I'm against them because I am tired of seeing time, money, and blood pissed away on people who don't want us there, and don't care.

I have a new plan. Its called, fark 'em all. The rest of the world seems to like whining about us, let them. Without us listening. Bring everyone home. I'm not just talking about the guys in Iraq or Afghanistan, but the troops in Quatar, Germany, Japan, Korean, and every other place we have personnel stashed. Bring everyone home and cut active duty manning levels by 50%, National Guard and Reserve levels by 25%, and the DOD budget by 33%. We'll save hundreds of billions if we can keep the politicians grimy hands off the money, while leaving enough to maintain the best paid and trained force in the world.

To all of you useless hippie, Code Pink, ANSWER, "no war at any price" losers, this isn't me agreeing with you. You are still worthless sacks of shait in my eyes. I wouldn't be saying this (well maybe the Japan, Korea, and Germany thing, those bases have been pointless for the past 20 years) if I thought we were planning on winning these wars. But Bush didn't have a plan for it, and, as near as I can tell Obama has even less of one. These have simply become open ended commitments, like Korea and Japan, only with a chance of getting killed, and I'm tired of watching it. I've had too many friends farked up or killed over this shait to care any more.

Well, I'll step down off of my soapbox now. If you read the whole thing, thanks for letting me vent. If you didn't, you probably aren't reading this, so, whatever, it made me feel better.