'Go pills' made us do it, say US pilots who bombed allies

Sydney Morning Herald ^

[EricT.]

Bravo Zulu to these military lawyers. Scape- goating pilots that made a terrible mistake is just reprehensible. It's not like they were out there "buzzing some Canucks" for fun. They were just doing their job. An accident happened, as accidents do happen in a war zone.This is sounding like what was done to some poor gunner's mate after the Iowa's #3 turret blew up.

[Frank_2001]

Why were they not informed of possible allied activity in the area? The person whose job it was to provide that info should be held responsible...were the pilots required to specifically ask about such activity? At 500 MPH at night, it's kinda tough to look out the window and figure out who's who....

[Kevin Curry]

At 500 MPH at night, it's kinda tough to look out the window and figure out who's who . . .

Especially if your brain is frying on speed.

The failure here was the USAF pushing pills or pushing these pilots beyond normal endurance and denying them adequate crew rest. Their superiors should be court-martialed and jailed.

[Steel Wolf]

The warning from the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, had not been included in a voluntary consent form given to pilots. "The manufacturer specifically counsels doctors to tell patients they should not operate heavy machinery or engage in potentially hazardous activities while using this drug. No pilot was ever told that."

Too bad this isn't a civilian court, or these pilots would be retiring as millionaires instead of trying to avoid being stabbed in the back by the same outfit who lets them 'volunteer' to take the go pills or keep flying till they crash from sleep deprevation.

The Air Force might wind up wishing the had not tried to stick it to these guys who, from what I've heard, were not guilty of negligence in any reasonable sense.

[motexva]

10 mg? Please. This had nothing to do with it. They could have drank a bunch of coffee and this would have happened under your reasoning.

It was an accident. They'll be acquitted. They're having the trial to appease the Canadians, who are a bunch of skittish ninnies.

[RCW2001]

Esquire magazine will be publishing a report next week that indicates another 'stimulate', much more potent than Dexedrine, is also in use by these pilots...

stay tuned...this one isn't finished yet!

[JackelopeBreeder]

As a USAF Brat, I can remember hearing stories of "stop & go pills" from pilots and aircrew dating back to the Korean War. It sounded like a policy to get chemically f**ked up legally.

And "voluntary consent" forms? Yeah, right. (Hey -- Grammar Police: that was a double positive that acts as a negative. Add that to your lecture notes.)

Most combat pilots would smoke rat turds if the flight surgeon told them it would give them an edge in getting the mission done -- especially if their commander added his two-cents worth.

Ten hours locked in an F-16 (or any fighter) cockpit is nothing to sniff at. You might have decent headroom and some elbow room, but your legs are jammed into two wells on either side of the center console and you are not gonna stroll aft to use the restroom or hit the galley for coffee.

If you left home base with a heavy load of ordnance, your first job will be to go find the tanker and top off the fuel. Then you orbit around waiting for a target. The target finally gets called in and you roll in, balls to the wall with "green 'em up, clean 'em up, turn on the music" spraying every last molecule of adrenaline into your bloodstream. You climb back out with all MERs empty, all adrenaline reduced to spent blood sugars & assorted waste by-products, hunting for any damned tanker out there to replace the fuel that disappeared while you were turning and burning and trying to keep the grunts on the ground alive (like Uncle JackelopeBreeder).

I don't know about the rest of you vets out there, but I'll take a jet jock on uppers any day of the week. He might accidently smoke me like a Smithfield ham, but I know he was trying his utmost to keep my sorry ass alive.

[patriciaruth]

In We Were Soldiers, there was a code that the Mel Gibson officer used to call in heavy fire when his men were pinned and being taken out.

Can you remember it?

[Jorge]

10 mg? Please. This had nothing to do with it. They could have drank a bunch of coffee and this would have happened under your reasoning.

Anyone who's done Dexedrine knows that it's effects are not the same as simply drinking a bunch of coffee.
Especially over the long term.
I don't believe the claimed 10 mg recommended average dosage would be stuck to religiously in these situations either. You can be sure the pilots are given a certain amount of discretion when it comes to dosage.
I've used Dexedrine and many other forms of amphetimines in the past and know how kooked out and wired out they can make people. You can even begin to hallucinate.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

It WAS an accident, insofar as nobody is accusing them of INTENTIONALLY causing friendly casualties. Why did this accident occur? Read SUMMARY OF FACTS: TARNAK FARMS FRIENDLY FIRE INCIDENT NEAR KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN 17 APRIL 2002

There is quite a bit more to this sad story than most sources are reporting. They did wrong and good guys died, and I am not unpatriotic, anti-military, or anti-Illinois Air Guard to say that.

[flyer182]

You are correct.

[oceanperch]

So far I agree with all posted except 10 and 12's posting.

Regarding poster 10 yes many days on meth. can make you psycotic/schitzo. However doses taken infreaquently is not likely to have any adverse effects.

These guys were given doses of medication. Pharmacy drugs taken in accordance to clinical usage is not the same as someone spinning out on meth and over doing it as with any drug.

And you number 12 poster are sounding like a reactionary not looking at all the facts. Facts which we as civilians only know via the media.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

They're having the trial to appease the Canadians, who are a bunch of skittish ninnies.

Do you not think they would have been tried if they had killed American 101st ABN troops, or Royal Marines, or Australian SAS? Were the Apache crews who took out friendly Bradleys in 1991 not brought to trial?

The Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry was attached to TF RAKKASAN, 101st ABN DIV at the time. Those four dead troopers could just as easily have been Americans.

[Polybius]

Why were they not informed of possible allied activity in the area? The person whose job it was to provide that info should be held responsible...were the pilots required to specifically ask about such activity?

Read the report in Post #11.

The pre-flight briefing specifically stated "No fratricide...100% release clearance". Such instructions were issued precisely because the area around Kandahar was crawling with friendlies.

The pilots asked for permission to release while they were flying over a U.S. Army training range conducting a scheduled training exercise that maintained a liason officer at the Kandahar control tower in constant radio communication between the control tower and the training range.

The pilots were denied permission to release.

They circled back over the U.S. Army training range and, in violation of a direct order from the control tower, relesed their ordnance and killed friendly troops training at that U.S. Army training range.

Their lawyers can't win on the facts of the case so now they are dealing the "they were on mind-altering drugs" card.

[SAMS]

"Broken Arrow"

[a4drvr]

The wingman (Coffee 52) took it upon himself to declare "Self-Defense" and to attack without clearence and against instructions to "Stand By" resulting in friendly death and injury.

I believe they need to justify their actions at Courts Martial. I don't prejudge them guilty or innocent but I believe they both have earned the right to be tried by a jury of their peers.

BTW, this was SOP during Vietnam, at least in the Marines.

[goldstategop]

The Democratic Party Drove Us Over The Edge Syndrome. Film at 11.

[patriciaruth]

Thanks! I've been trying to remember that for a couple weeks!