Ah_Yea says:

Here is the real caption to the video.
“A couple soldiers use the grenade launcher attachments on their rifles to explode a crashed gas tanker in the desert.”

No other explanation. It is very common when we cannot recover them to destroy such things to keep them out of the hands of the enemy. A nice tanker would make a great bomb in downtown Kabul.

It’s dangerous over there, like this video shows.

denacron says:

More power to them. The problem is not with using a rifle mounted grenade launcher to get rid of a tank of flammables. That they are there is due to politics.

The politicos have worked their magic well enough that a majority of people would say we are in Iraq because of the attack on the WTC.

I would not begrudge them any pleasure they get from blowing things up. It is where they are that matters most, and that decision was made by those who live in luxury not on a battlefield.

May the troops be blessed and the politicians who squander their lives be damned.

geoff says:

I’m with #10 jeff. they probably had to destroy it. you probably have to remember that this vid is several years old. what makes the vid kinda goofy is the soldiers reaction to the explosion. meh.

johnrudy says:

I’m going to start this with the obvious (and standard) I’m against the war in Iraq. False pretenses, waste of money and resource, etc., etc. (Been down this road before, don’t need to rehash it all.)

But we’re there. And we’re in too deep to strategically pull out yet. And the soldiers are there, doing their jobs, with their lives on the line.

I’m one of those crazy types who feels that even if you disagree with a war, you support the troops who have to fight the damn thing.

So we have some people up there talking about how “half-wit” these guys are. They’re highly-trained at what they do. It’s not as easy as playing CoD4 on your XBox — that’s real heat, real gear you’re carrying, real desert, real enemies, live ammo and quite possibly coming back to the States (if you’re in the fortunate group who comes back) having to live with having killed other human beings.

We have some other folks talking about how it’s standard procedure to blow up stuff like that. Hey, that sounds reasonable to me. I wouldn’t know as I’m on the outside looking in, but it seems like a completely rational way to handle a situation that could go very badly.

So they blow it up. Would all the people whining about how “half-wit” not feel the same way if they didn’t cheer and call it awesome? I’d cheer too — I’ll admit it, that looked like fun! I wouldn’t trade my comfy desk job for the work those men are doing, but just that one minute looked pretty cool.

There are plenty of very intelligent people who respect and enjoy large, loud explosions. In fact, good many of us watch their exploits on TV every week — you know them as the Mythbusters.

Some people need to get off their high horses. Let these men do their jobs, and if they *happen* to have a little fun occasionally while over there (away from their family, away from their friends, away from our freedoms and comforts), then LET THEM.

YEESH.

(And thanks Veterans!)

lemonademaker says:

#27
x2

(standing – Ovation )
well said!!

reflexx says:

I was just gonna say it was a great shot. Distance, trajectory, standing up…..lob & BOOM!

win.

PS: thanks to all our guys serving overseas.

Airborne says:

johnrudy #27 . Well said.

To all the troglodytes who can only refer to soldiers as “dimwits” or any other derogatory term they can summon from the depths of their limited cranium: it’s funny how I have NEVER in my 20 years in the military heard anybody make the kind of comments to my face like you make here. I know why. Because you are pathetic little bitches. Please post a video of yourself walking up to a Marine and saying the same remarks. Then we can all LOL together.

Gilgamesh says:

#27 – Yes.
#33 – Amen.
To all the little girls who pay taxes and post on pundit boards: keep paying your taxes and please vote every once in a while.

Rick Cain says:

Iraqi guy: Hey WTF happened to my oil tank?