[Growler]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

Somehow, it happens.

Okay, now for a new war story. I think I'll tell you about the time I almost got my ****ing feet blown off by mines. As I mentioned in the previous post, I was part an MTVR platoon attached to 2nd Battalion/ 2nd Marines and all that stuff. For some bizarre reason, 2/2 chose to use us as mechanized infantry. Not that we were at all suited or trained for the task, and it was incredibly stupid to leave our unguarded vehicles that don't require keys behind, but that's what the brass wanted, so we did it.

So we're on a foot patrol, away from our vehicles that we're supposed to be responsible for. We have combat engineers with metal-detectors that we are supposed to support. We're looking for weapons caches, but we know that the area is mined.

Guess what happens next. Our platoon commander puts me, the only remaining M-249 machine-gunner, ahead of the combat engineers. "Cover them", he says. I tried respectfully explaining to him that this was an incredibly stupid idea, as I could easily protect the combat engineers from behind, whereas they could not protect me from mines from behind. I tried explaining that since I was the only person in the whole ****ing platoon with an automatic weapon, it might be wise to use me in support rather than a pointman in a mined area. All to no avail.

So I'm walking ahead of the combat engineers, looking for threats, pointing my weapon at any movement, doing my job, when the freaking metal detectors start going off. We had already passed over mines that would have blown me all to hell had the insurgents known how to make mines properly.

I've never forgiven my platoon commander for that. He never liked me very much because I had a habit of calling him out when he made stupid decisions, but I can't shake the impression that he purposely put me in such a ridiculous position on purpose. I hate that arrogant bastard almost as much as I hate the dumbass decisions he made that actually got people killed.

Was he a ROTC Nazi or an Annapolis grad? Either way... just plain lucky, man.

Glad you're still talking to us - the alternative just ain't worth thinking about.