After months of preparation, and three weeks in a warzone, my entire trip to Iraq has been boiled down to 29 hours. But that day-and-a-smidge shift with Team Mayhem, a U.S. Army bomb squad, winds up being pretty damn action-packed.
Booby traps, smoking mortars, rooftop gunfire, suspected truck bombs, roadside explosives, and an idiosyncratic little robot named Rainman all figure prominently in the story, which appears in this months Wired magazine. Mostly, though, the article is about the battle of wits thats being fought between high-tech U.S. military squads and low-tech insurgent bombers. Improvised explosives have become the deadliest threat to soldiers and civilians alike in Iraq. So the winner of this fight largely determines the fate of the counterinsurgency.
But getting a clear picture of this tangle has been tough; military bomb squads, or “explosive ordnance disposal” units, are ordinarily shrouded in secrecy, operating in shadows. This is one of the first times theyve allowed a reporter in for an extended stay.
So click here for a look inside The Baghdad Bomb Squad. Once youre done, you can take a look at 140 pictures I shot during my time in Iraq. And here are some reports on American troops morale, and my online diaries from Iraq. Enjoy
THERE’S MORE: Capt. Greg Hirschey, the commanding officer of the 717th Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Company (which inlcludes Team Mayhem), just dropped me a line. Two of his sergeants, he said, “were hit with an IED yesterday with injuries to their security element. I just walked into the shop from an incident and received word that our Air Force augmentation team was hit with an IED just minutes ago… It is hectic right now once again. Seems like it never stops. Here is a photo of my shot from this morn.”
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Inside the “Baghdad Bomb Squad”
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People tend to forget the world history of CIA Black Activities in Sovereign Goverments like Cuba, Paraguay, Argentina, Iran, Chile, and others unknown attacks that happened before 9–11 and because of the tremendous tragedy of this one event and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I would like to point out that the tipical American is ignorant about its own History. And Why Others people or countrys hate the American Style of living. Fear by your Hand. Peace by the Force. etc. etc. etc.
may God bless all the troops and keep them safe. i was in nam for over five years. I hope noone ever treats the good poeple that is protecting this great country like they treated us vets. they are going thru hell, i know because i have been there
THANK YOU. To all the Men and Women in our military services. From myself,my wife and my son and daughter
to all u anti war people out there…stop ur complainign about this war..its not going to get u anywhere..and for those who think our soldiers are the “poorest of our system”..think again..i am an airman in the United States Air Force and i am damn proud for what i am…I left an excellent paying job, good family, and hardest of all my loving girlfriend to fight for my country..to protect everything and everyone i left behind.…so stop sayin that this war is for oil or revenge..it is war plain and simple..and it needs to be fought and it will be fought…by the best of the best..hooorah
war is an ugly thing,but not the ugliest of things.the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.the person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight,nothing which is more important than his own personal safety,is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made so and kept so by the exeretions of better men then himself. john stuart mill(1806–1873)
hooorah for Kyle. Did you see a LATINO Man flying a F-18 aircraft? The American Values arent for all countrys and its people. YOU CANNOT PUSH this ideals inside a person. YOu mAy think about your own goverment and the guys who are taking the wheel. This dudes are the real public enemy. And for short time, the hiding things about it are been willing iluminated. Sorry my english language. I learn it only for considering Kyles ideals.
I am currently serving on my second tour in Iraq in under 3 years. I am fighting to keep Americans safe. Instead of the terrorists comming to my country and killing my friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens they can come here and fight me. Every day there are hundreds or thousands of good things happening in Iraq courtiesy of Uncle Sam that never make the 5 o’clock news. If you don’t believe me just come over and see for yourself. To those forigners who want to post stuff on this sight I just want to tell you to shut the heck up. Worry about your own country and the bad thing you do. If you want to be a wuss go ahead but don’t cry to us when your country needs a hand.
I support all service men and women and salute their bravery and dedication. In spite of all that may be wrong with my country, these people are true heroes, true patriots.
One day Jesus will return in glory and this war and all sufferings will not even be a memory…
God Bless everyone of our troops who are protecting the United States of America, and it citizens from those who would do us harm.
May the American people continue to support you and those who do not, come to their senses, and see that this conflict is necessary for this generation of Americans and those to come.
On behalf of the family I want to thank each of you for condolences. Johnnie was an only child so his father Rodger has taken this very hard but he is holding up well. Rodger and I are both Veit Nam combat vets but this will sure test your mettle. I’ve known Johnnie since he was 14. He and my son were inseperable as teenagers. My son Jesse married Johnnie’s sister Norma. We are all very proud that Johnnie lived and died doing what he loved and helped alot of people. We recieved word of Johnnie’s death on Dec. 20. The family took the news pretty hard. Rodger asked me to put together a memorial service for friday Dec. 23. If you want to check the web sites, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Cleburne Times-Review, and Channel 8 WFAA in Dallas all did articles about Johnnie. The memorial service was held at the American Legion hall in Rio Vista Tx. Rio Vista is a small community, 700 souls, and Johnnie is the first one we’ve lost in this war. All the names of our people in the service are on a sign in the middle of town. Norma marked Johnnie’s with black tape. The hall was packed. It was a good service and the whole community is mourning. If anyone is interested I’ll share the eulogies with you. Jesse and Norma went to the memorial service at Ft. Campbell. Rodger didn’t think he could go to that and Washington for the interment. My Misses, my self, Jesse and Norma accompanied Rodger and Georgia to Washington for Johnnie’s interment at Arlington Cemetery. It was a memorable service. The Army was very kind to take care of us. We really appreciate all the help from the Army and Johnnie’s friends and co-workers. We appreciate all the soldiers from Johnnie’s outfit for attending and offers of kind words. Thank you. We support all you soldiers in all your endeavers and your commitment to our great nation. Any time that you need us we’re here for you. Thank you.
I found a gray structure on my lawn that looked just like a bomb. Like the ones that we see in the movies. It was gray and rectangular and was very scary looking. Since I was wearing gloves and cleaning up here in New York and since I wasn’t thinking about Iraq, I picked it up and throwed it into the garbage. However, if it was radioactive then that might have affected my life span a lot and my ability to move around, etc. I should have called someone. They do not make it easy to call them though.
B-52’S ARE NEEDED TO BOMB THE TRIANGLE OF DEATH BACK TO THE STONE AGES,PULL TROOPS BACK 100-MILES-BEFORE BOMBING BEGAN.DROP ALL THE BOMBS FOR 100-DAYS UNTIL-THE INSURGENCY IS NO-MORE.SENDING TROOPS IN THERE IS JUST DUMB.SEND THE TROOPS AFTER THE B-52’S ARE DONE WITH THIER JOB.WHO’S RUNNING THIS WAR-IT LOOKS LIKE POLITICS,NOT THE HARD ASS MILITARY.
My friends in order to help me, send me much Requiem gold, I was very thank him.
The Azure Knight’s skill may defeat the match fast, when after you defeat them, you may use their skills, like this you do not need to buy 2moons dil.