After finding a potential IED (improvised explosive device), an American unit patrolling with the Iraqi Army calls out Stalker platoon to further investigate and possibly remove the IED. Upon arriving Stalker's engineer, Staff Sergeant Andy Overgard immediately discovers that the IED emplacer only laid out the detonator switch with no explosives. The joint American-Iraqi Army patrol leaves Stalker to search the area for any further traces of IED activity.
One of the soldiers sights a suspicious can and Private First Class Ben Merkel uses his humvee's .50 caliber machine gun to fire at the can, which would be enough to trigger an explosion if the can was indeed an IED. However, Sergeant First Class Mike Greer decides to fire at the can with his Bradley's 25mm cannon and ignites something of a firing orgy as all the soldiers on the ground open up into the can with their personal weapons. Even the medic, Private First Class Matt Graham shoots at the can with his 9mm pistol. At a distance of over one hundred meters it would be nearly impossible for Graham to hit the target with his pistol.
Everyone chuckles as they either watch or participate in the shooting spree. Later Staff Sergeant Eric Moroge laughs, "We're just big kids with toys."
Sergeant Jesse Trumpore agrees, "It's like fucked up Boy Scouts at summer camp."
Even in a war zone, soldiers still retain a certain amount of youthful playfulness. In a war where boredom is often the most abundant commodity, soldiers eager to use their equipment and lacerate the monotony often find odd outlets for entertainment.
Though Captain John Hintz prides himself in his soldiers' professionalism, he still considers most of them kids. The majority of people in the platoon are under the age of twenty-five, with several soldiers still under twenty.
Hintz's former driver, Specialist Ryan O'Connor recently turned nineteen. Specialist Luis Santos became mildly depressed when he turned twenty in Iraq and realized that his teens were over. At twenty-nine years old, soldiers often joke that Private First Class Merkel, who joined the Army later in life, is an old man. Hintz and Greer, the most senior ranking soldiers in the platoon are both thirty-five.
Given the age difference between Hintz and most of his soldiers, he says, "Sometimes I can't believe the conversations I have out here."
While their sergeants run errands at Warhorse, a large base, Private First Class Brian Hunsuck and Private First Class Graham, twenty and twenty-one respectively, sit inside their humvees monitoring the radios.
Graham radios to Hunsuck, "Stalker 1 Delta, Stalker 3 Delta."
"This is Stalker 3 Delta," replies Hunsuck using the official radio jargon.
"Would you like to come to a party?"
"Roger. Could I get a vicinity location for the party?" Inquires Hunsuck.
"Roger that," responds Graham. "It's in my pants."
Given the nature of Iraq's insurgency, soldiers seldom have the opportunity to use their weapons or equipment in actual combat scenarios. Sergeant Jesse Trumpore used his own money to purchase a high-power scope for his M-16 rifle not because he thought he'd need of pick off enemies at long range, he just want it so he could use it mostly as something of a telescope. While he enjoys testing how far he can accurately fire his rifle at the range, he doubts he'll ever use it on the battlefield.
With a seeming excess of high-tech equipment and limited opportunities to use it all, soldiers often have impromptu shooting sessions on patrols in the rural areas of Iraq. Sergeant First Class Greer and his platoon are especially notorious seeking out any possible opportunity to test their weapons and equipment on mission. Walking along a canal with his interpreter, AT4, Greer shouts, "There's a fish! Shoot it, AT4!" AT4 pops several rounds into the water and the group heads back to the truck.
Searching for a possible weapons cache along the Diyala River, Staff Sergeant Eric Moroge jokingly asks Greer if he can throw a fragmentation grenade into the river. Greer shrugs his shoulders. "Go ahead," he says. "Just be careful."
Moroge tosses the grenade, the ground vibrates, the water bubbles and several small fish float to the surface, some dead, some stunned. Sergeant Jordan Savor and Private First Class Zach Lindsley join in the fun and throw their fragmentation grenades in the river too. More fish float to the surface.
"What we're doing here is feeding the crabs," says Greer.
Watching birds swoop in to eat the fish, Moroge suggests an alternative use for insurgents' roadside bombs. "Haji should use IEDs [improvised explosive devices] to go fishing," says Moroge. "Throw a 155 artillery round in the water."
After capturing several men mortaring an Iraqi Army checkpoint, several soldiers from Stalker platoon had to wait and guard the men while others searched for any accomplices. The mortar team had fled in their personal car, so while the soldiers waited for the search to end they created a small racetrack around the village, and took turns speeding through their mini racetrack. The fun abruptly stopped when the older, high-ranking officers from headquarters stopped to check in.
One of the soldiers sights a suspicious can and Private First Class Ben Merkel uses his humvee's .50 caliber machine gun to fire at the can, which would be enough to trigger an explosion if the can was indeed an IED. However, Sergeant First Class Mike Greer decides to fire at the can with his Bradley's 25mm cannon and ignites something of a firing orgy as all the soldiers on the ground open up into the can with their personal weapons. Even the medic, Private First Class Matt Graham shoots at the can with his 9mm pistol. At a distance of over one hundred meters it would be nearly impossible for Graham to hit the target with his pistol.
Everyone chuckles as they either watch or participate in the shooting spree. Later Staff Sergeant Eric Moroge laughs, "We're just big kids with toys."
Sergeant Jesse Trumpore agrees, "It's like fucked up Boy Scouts at summer camp."
Even in a war zone, soldiers still retain a certain amount of youthful playfulness. In a war where boredom is often the most abundant commodity, soldiers eager to use their equipment and lacerate the monotony often find odd outlets for entertainment.
Though Captain John Hintz prides himself in his soldiers' professionalism, he still considers most of them kids. The majority of people in the platoon are under the age of twenty-five, with several soldiers still under twenty.
Hintz's former driver, Specialist Ryan O'Connor recently turned nineteen. Specialist Luis Santos became mildly depressed when he turned twenty in Iraq and realized that his teens were over. At twenty-nine years old, soldiers often joke that Private First Class Merkel, who joined the Army later in life, is an old man. Hintz and Greer, the most senior ranking soldiers in the platoon are both thirty-five.
Given the age difference between Hintz and most of his soldiers, he says, "Sometimes I can't believe the conversations I have out here."
While their sergeants run errands at Warhorse, a large base, Private First Class Brian Hunsuck and Private First Class Graham, twenty and twenty-one respectively, sit inside their humvees monitoring the radios.
Graham radios to Hunsuck, "Stalker 1 Delta, Stalker 3 Delta."
"This is Stalker 3 Delta," replies Hunsuck using the official radio jargon.
"Would you like to come to a party?"
"Roger. Could I get a vicinity location for the party?" Inquires Hunsuck.
"Roger that," responds Graham. "It's in my pants."
Given the nature of Iraq's insurgency, soldiers seldom have the opportunity to use their weapons or equipment in actual combat scenarios. Sergeant Jesse Trumpore used his own money to purchase a high-power scope for his M-16 rifle not because he thought he'd need of pick off enemies at long range, he just want it so he could use it mostly as something of a telescope. While he enjoys testing how far he can accurately fire his rifle at the range, he doubts he'll ever use it on the battlefield.
With a seeming excess of high-tech equipment and limited opportunities to use it all, soldiers often have impromptu shooting sessions on patrols in the rural areas of Iraq. Sergeant First Class Greer and his platoon are especially notorious seeking out any possible opportunity to test their weapons and equipment on mission. Walking along a canal with his interpreter, AT4, Greer shouts, "There's a fish! Shoot it, AT4!" AT4 pops several rounds into the water and the group heads back to the truck.
Searching for a possible weapons cache along the Diyala River, Staff Sergeant Eric Moroge jokingly asks Greer if he can throw a fragmentation grenade into the river. Greer shrugs his shoulders. "Go ahead," he says. "Just be careful."
Moroge tosses the grenade, the ground vibrates, the water bubbles and several small fish float to the surface, some dead, some stunned. Sergeant Jordan Savor and Private First Class Zach Lindsley join in the fun and throw their fragmentation grenades in the river too. More fish float to the surface.
"What we're doing here is feeding the crabs," says Greer.
Watching birds swoop in to eat the fish, Moroge suggests an alternative use for insurgents' roadside bombs. "Haji should use IEDs [improvised explosive devices] to go fishing," says Moroge. "Throw a 155 artillery round in the water."
After capturing several men mortaring an Iraqi Army checkpoint, several soldiers from Stalker platoon had to wait and guard the men while others searched for any accomplices. The mortar team had fled in their personal car, so while the soldiers waited for the search to end they created a small racetrack around the village, and took turns speeding through their mini racetrack. The fun abruptly stopped when the older, high-ranking officers from headquarters stopped to check in.
posted by Tom | 1:10 PM
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