Soldiers Blinded, Hospitalized by Laser 'Friendly Fire'

[The Straight Story]

Soldiers Blinded, Hospitalized by Laser 'Friendly Fire'
By David Hambling EmailMarch 30, 2009

An American soldier was blinded in one eye and three others required medical evacuation out of Iraq in a series of laser "friendly fire" incidents, the U.S. military has disclosed. These injuries are caused by the misuse of dangerous green-laser dazzlers.

Since November 2008, a single unit in Iraq "has experienced 12 green-laser incidents involving 14 soldiers and varying degrees of injury. Three soldiers required medical evacuation out of Iraq and one soldier is now blind in one eye," writes Sgt. Crystal Reidy, from the 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), or ESC.

Captain Russell Harris, a Troop Commander with 3rd ESC reports that his troops have suffered "temporary blindness, headaches and blurred vision,” as a result of laser incidents. Others describe severe, 48-hour migraines after lasing.

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/03/dont-lase-me-br.html

[Occam Bandage]

1. Better dazzled than shot.

Friendly fire is a constant threat in war. Less-lethal weaponry like dazzlers save American lives as well as Iraqi. I think I'm in the minority here in that I find things like dazzlers, the active denial system, and tasers as beneficial instead of as detrimental.

[ddeclue]

2. Lasers are no joke and even very low powered ones can blind a person very quickly.

I don't really think that they should be allowed as weapons of war, at least far as using low powered laswers to blind someone goes because they don't simply kill someone mercifully but leave them disabled for 40, 50 or more years in a most cruel way.

Doug D.

[Occam Bandage]

3. Using lasers intended to blind does violate international law.

Dazzlers aren't, and usually don't. Still, any weapon designed to incapacitate carries a risk of permanent injury or death; I don't think that is reason enough to decide that bullets are more humane. (It isn't like a bullet wound is automatically a clean kill either, after all)

[aquart]

4. Genius weapon, that is.

What other brilliant pieces of shit are we developing for vast sums of money?

[Occam Bandage]

5. Here you go!

http://www.darpa.mil/off_programs.html