"Hate to nitpick here, but couldn't a grenade launcher have done it for about 1/10,000th the cost?"
Let's see. . .1/10,000th the cost vs no lives lost and one man wounded and returned to duty. . .expose one RPG man and one loader in the open to two guys likely firing automatic weapons. . .all the good guys, so far, going home to their moms and dads, wives and sweethearts, brothers and sisters and grandparents. . . Free Republic second guessers NOT in Iraq but sitting on the bums in front of their computers and not making command decisions about the lives of their guys under their command.
Nope! You two guys lose! The 10,000-times costs are darn well worth it.
(I have not served. My tagline honors my son and my cousin.)
My Friend, We all win thanks to people like your son and cousin. God Bless you and yours.