Posted on 11/03/2004 7:31:02 PM PST by SJackson
CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq (Nov. 1, 2004) -- A rifle-mounted scope designed to enhance enemy visibility on the battlefield saved the life of a Marine during a Sept. 17 firefight on the outskirts of Fallujah, but not the way intended.
Sgt. Todd B. Bowers, a member of the 4th Civil Affairs Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, spotted enemy snipers during a security patrol outside the restive town of Fallujah. While returning fire, a sniper-fired round hit Bowers’ advanced combat optical gun site, mounted on his M-16A2 service rifle. Fragmentation from both the ACOG and the bullet were peppered across the left side of Bowers’ face.
“It was about a four-hour firefight. Bullets were flying everywhere, and as I returned fire, it felt like my weapon blew up,” said Bowers, 25, a native of Washington, D.C.
A Navy corpsman removed a piece of fragmentation and applied a pressure dressing to his left cheek.
As the corpsman began calling for a medical evacuation, Bowers refused and kept on fighting alongside his fellow Marines.
“After he was cleaned up, I knew he would be okay, but I was surprised that he didn’t want to leave on a medical evacuation,” said Sgt. Jung Kil Yoo, a member of 4th CAG.
Small pieces of fragmentation can still be seen on the left side of his face.
“Luckily, I had my ballistic goggles on to protect my eyes, without them I probably would not be able to see out of my left eye,” said Bowers.
He can still see the bullet lodged in his scope, which was given to him by his father, John Bowers, two days before leaving to Iraq.
“The last time I saw my dad was the day he handed me the scope,” said Bowers.
His dad was a former sergeant in the Marine Corps, who didn’t want to see his son go into combat without a useful piece of gear.
“The ACOG was the best purchase I have ever made in my life,” said John to his son during a phone conversation.
Bowers’ heroism and loyalty to his unit impressed even those who knew him well.
“I knew he was a good Marine,” said Yoo, 28, a native of Neptune, N.J. “Where some would freeze up, he stood his ground and continued to press forward.”
“Sgt. Bowers was able to keep a cool head about the whole situation,” said Lance Cpl. James J. Vooris, 20, a native of Albany, N.Y., and a combat photographer with Headquarters Company, Regimental Combat Team 1.
With all that was going on around him, Bowers did not have time to stop and think about what happened.
“I didn’t realize how lucky I was till later that day when I sat down to think about it,” said Bowers.
As a constant reminder of how the scope possibly saved his life, Bowers plans to keep the scope and mount it on his mantel when he returns home.
“It’s (the bullet) there and I am glad it stayed there,” said Bowers as he pointed to his ACOG still mounted to his weapon.
Bowers, who has been in Iraq since August, is currently serving a seven-month deployment, his second tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I guess they wouldn't hold up very well on my Remington Semi Auto 30:06.
I'm sure the kids father has done such already as the story is a few months old IMO. Trijicon and Aimpoint have pretty good backlog of supplying folks in harms way and alledgedly working 24/7 to fill the orders. Who's to say whats going on. I've done a search and will call the USMC PA office later this afternoon to see if we can get more data on the story........
Ya'll Stay safe !
Thanks for following up on this. Let me know if I can help.
If the folks at Trijicon have any brains at all, they've already sent this Marine a replacement ... warranty or no. For both patriotic and PR reasons, it's the only thing to do.
Hmmmmmm..... seems to replace a side arm with a sub gun also drops the primary arm (the rifle) from carry. Not sure of the caliber mentioned, but if it punches commercial grade vehicles and vests then indeed it's a fine tool for internal security duties. If not it's a wrong choice IMO. I can remember when DOD experimented with a sabot tungsten 9MM round for the then new M9 Beretta and the MP5 series of subguns. Their primary concern was that gate guards at base entry control points or in static security positions securing priority A, B &C resources could do what I described above with a "just a sidearm". I have a few of the rounds ratted away somewhere if I can find one, I'll take a digital pic, then brother in law Eaker or Joe Brower to host the pic for a day or so that I may show ya what I'm speaking of.......:o)
I like that pic.......hopefully someday the NFA BS can be reversed so we can purchase legally.
Stay safe !
Not sure of the recoil issue but any "sporting" rifle IMO does better with a leupold or burris chunk of glass. I've never had one break or fog up on me except the little M8 (?) 2X power which was on a ruger mk 1 .22 pistol ??? Go figure !
Leupold fed-x'd me a new one after they recieved mine for repair.
If yer in brush or woods I'd look at light gathering ability and depending on the quality of your eyesight the power factor. The more I look at the EOtech that Travis mentioned the better it looks. I use a old 1.5x6 Dangerous Game scope on my ruger Number 1 in 45-70 and I shoot the garrett hammerheads in it and recoil is stout. Scope holds up really well......
Stay safe !
Will do , thanks for the offer.......
Understood without having to say WD.......:o)
Asswhupping starting in Falujah this AM with AC-130's working overtime.....:o)
Stay safe !
The only other pics of the MP7 I have are in the paper Marine magazine. Makes perfect sense to me for gate guard duty, which is increasingly our "point of contact" with islamonutballs. I go through manned military gates every day, as do you. Here in San Diego, the guards are woefully underarmed with the M-9, with their bad magazines etc. Their backup depends on threatcon, but can be a shotgun or M16. The actual guys at the car checkpoint need better than an M9 in a flapped holster! THat's frigging useless! They need a subgun on a sling, for hands free, yet instant response. Won't happen, but that's what they need.
These days of a suicide bomber I believe in what I term a sacrifical defense in depth. A local national DOD or LEO troop with a sidearm for self defense only so he can work and search arriving vehicles 200 meters from main entry of the facility.
100 meters from that checkpoint a US troop armed in the same manner does a second visable check then allows the vehicle to pass to a point 50 meters from ECP to a bomb dog check....
All the troops with sidearms at those inital search points are covered by guns in fixed hardened facilities and or mobile light armored vehicles M113's or hardened Hummers in hull down positions armed with Ma Duce and or Mk-19's covering them along with three designated marksmen with Barretts or Ronnies new payload rifle covering his back as he searches the vehicles. After he does and initial physical search then the next station in the checkpoint is a explosive detector dog team covered in the same manner.
A maze of barriers keeping all vehicles from doing over 5 miles per hour will stop those intent on killing and discourage those who want to bring a vehicle onto secure facilities vs leaving their ride in a parking lot 300 meters from the ECP.
Obvious visable security in depth with invisable whuppass crew at each entry point would number say 15 troops per shift/watch with rotation/relief conducted in house every two hours for maximum alertness and minimum boredom per having to ride the wire per se.....
Just my idea, opinion as to how I'd do it.....as at any given point of the process they get one troop vs many. I'd also suggest one privately owned commercial vehicle point of entry to a base billeting troops with 6 or more ECP's for the troops and their vehicles to preclude establishing a pattern route for anti-ambush purposes when they return.
A pre-delivery supply depot that processes supplies and materials yet holds or stores nothing. Example. Yousif delivers a semi load of bottled water. That truck or load doesn't go into a secure base. It's unloaded, inspected and reloaded on to DOD transport for delivery to the secure facility. No commercial bulk or small delivery vehicle should get within a mile of the camps or bases.........free fire zone .
Stay safe !
Glyn Bindon, the founder of Trijicon, used to be a co-worker of mine at Ford Motor Co. back in the '80's.
I'm sorry to learn he died in '03; he was a good engineer and a good guy.
Right on! The Almighty is watching over our marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen. I pray he will continue to do so. If we honor and obey Him, there is no force on earth that can defeat us!
This will be a huge upgrade for guards and security forces!
It sure beats the heck out of the 4-inch barrelled .38 revolvers that were the mainstay of Embassy Marines, gateguards and USAF security cops through the 1950s/60s/70s.
I think the last buy of such weapons was the massive purchase of Ruger Security-Six .38s in the early 1980s, just as the M9 Beretta was being widely issued. A lot of the female troops had problems with the size of the M9s grip when pulling off a round double-action.
These folks seem to be familiar with the H&K and Beretta PDW replacements for the SMG and pistol, as well as their own national developments.
There's also a H&K PDW equivalent. There's clearly a need for such a tool for helicopter and tank crews; the old WWII M3 greaseguns are pretty much gone after their 60 years of service, and the Israelis long ago gave up on cutdown M16s for such uses as too fragile.
Think if they adopt it for guards, it'll be carried in a belt holster, shoulder rig, sling or what?
(maybe you should use the ACOG to view the monitor.... Wahaha!)
You're right of course, but they won't do it, citing manpower, costs etc. I wouldn't even post how bad it is.
WOW!
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