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Where the IEDs Lie, the Buffalo Roams
The Washington Post ^
| October 29, 2005
| Jackie Spinner
Posted on 10/29/2005 10:48:48 AM PDT by neverdem
BAGHDAD -- The padded walls and bulletproof glass kept the sound of the world out as the crew of the Buffalo ambled down the highway at a grazing pace, examining litter.
Boxes. Rags. Bags. Dead dogs. The American soldiers riding in the military's newest weapon against roadside bombs scrutinized everything they saw beneath their windows.
"Hey, he says he sees a rag," Staff Sgt. Matthew Dzuricky, 28, of Erie, Pa., called out to his men in the Buffalo, a lumbering South African armored personnel carrier designed to withstand land mines. Against all conventional Baghdad traffic wisdom, the Buffalo headed straight at the rag, a potential roadside bomb.
"I see the rag," Spec. Abe McCann, 29, of Tombstone, Ariz., piped back. "It's clear."
"Rag clear," Dzuricky said through the radio, and the Buffalo moved along.
One of the most dangerous assignments in Iraq is now one of its most critical, as the U.S. military tries to deal with the growing threat of lethal roadside bomb attacks. The number of U.S. troops who have died in the Iraq war hit 2,000 on Tuesday, and more than half of the soldiers killed in the last six months died from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.
Officials said three U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq on Thursday night by such bombs.
Up to 12 times a week, soldiers from Echo Company, Task Force 4-64, patrol the streets of Baghdad trying to locate roadside bombs before they go off, killing or injuring troops. The task force is part of the 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.
At the center of their mission is the Buffalo, which rides on monster tires and has a steel retractable arm that can poke for potential roadside bombs at a 16-foot distance. Its V-shaped body rides much higher off the ground than...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 3rdid; buffalo; buffalosoldiers; ied; iraq; oif; wheeledarmor
Spec. Abe McCann, 29, of Tombstone, Ariz., operated the steel arm of the Buffalo during a mission in Baghdad to locate improvised explosive devices.
RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle
1
posted on
10/29/2005 10:48:48 AM PDT
by
neverdem
To: neverdem
This is very cool ... but I would rather send captured insurgents out on "IED-clearing detail". "Hey towel-head, kick that rag ... pick up that dead dog ... pull on those wires".
To: Squantos; DMZFrank; ALOHA RONNIE; Cannoneer No. 4; Darksheare; archy; Travis McGee; ...
BANG!
3
posted on
10/29/2005 10:55:45 AM PDT
by
neverdem
(May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows that you're dead.)
To: neverdem
Here's the next generation vehicle - in development and testing. for riding over the big mines
To: neverdem
We have both of those vehicles here, plus the deminers have
Casspirs and the Canadians have
Mambas.
5
posted on
10/29/2005 11:22:13 AM PDT
by
Cannoneer No. 4
(Kandahar Airfield -- “We’re not on the edge of the world, but we can see it from here")
To: Cannoneer No. 4
6
posted on
10/29/2005 11:24:29 AM PDT
by
neverdem
(May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows that you're dead.)
To: manwiththehands
Against the Geneva Conventions to make POWs clear mine fields. They told me that in basic training during the class on the conventions. Otherwise when I got to Nam I would have given the VC a basketball and a pair of snowshoes and made them walk in front of me down the roads and trails.
7
posted on
10/29/2005 11:42:20 AM PDT
by
Americanexpat
(A strong democracy through citizen oversight.)
To: archy; Squantos
8
posted on
10/29/2005 11:58:21 AM PDT
by
Travis McGee
(--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
To: Americanexpat
I suppose I should have known that. Thanks for the reminder. (thinking to myself: "stupid Geneva Convention")
To: manwiththehands
General Sherman did just that with captured Confederate prisoners on his March to the Sea after one of his men was killed by an improvised Confederate IED on the road.
It proved high successful. The Confederates stopped mining the roads. But that was before the Geneva Convention.
To: manwiththehands; Lazamataz; martin_fierro; Prime Choice
This is very cool ... but I would rather send captured insurgents out on "IED-clearing detail". "Hey towel-head, kick that rag ... pick up that dead dog ... pull You know, I had the same thought.
Sort of a Cool Hand Luke chain gang set in Iraq..
Shakin' the Rag, boss!"
11
posted on
10/29/2005 12:23:07 PM PDT
by
Experiment 6-2-6
(Admn Mods: tiny, malicious things that glare and gibber from dark corners.They have pins and dolls..)
To: Cannoneer No. 4
We have both of those vehicles here, plus the deminers have Casspirs and the Canadians have Mambas. Seen any Pookies? There've been a number of new ones built, though I understand that the VW mogas engine is not looked upon with favour.
12
posted on
11/01/2005 12:46:26 PM PST
by
archy
(The darkness will come. It will find you,and it will scare you like you've never been scared before.)
To: Travis McGee; archy; U S Army EOD; EODGUY; gatorbait; Joee; An Old Man; Riley; Squantos; ...
13
posted on
11/01/2005 12:48:44 PM PST
by
archy
(The darkness will come. It will find you,and it will scare you like you've never been scared before.)
To: archy
I bet you went to the Formula 1 races in SA for those tires.
To: archy
Yeah, the Engineers have something like that.
15
posted on
11/01/2005 3:53:47 PM PST
by
Cannoneer No. 4
(Kandahar Airfield -- “We’re not on the edge of the world, but we can see it from here")
To: Cannoneer No. 4
I was once on a convoy where we passed the South African model Meercats sweeping for IEDs on the shoulder of the road.
It never thrilled me much to get ahead of the mine sweepers, but heck, it wasn't my call.
16
posted on
11/01/2005 4:09:26 PM PST
by
Eagle Eye
(There ought to be a law against excess legislation.)
To: Eagle Eye; archy
17
posted on
11/02/2005 8:14:43 AM PST
by
Cannoneer No. 4
(Kandahar Airfield -- “We’re not on the edge of the world, but we can see it from here")
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