Care to comment on Friendly fire facts..?

Question

So called 'friendly fire' incidents by US Forces cost five British lives in the Iraq "war"... to date.. but what about AFGHANISTAN..?

In the LAST Gulf war more than half of all American pilots used amphetamines to keep them going on long missions. And they did the same in the latest war in Iraq. What's more, the US Air Force says the drug they use - Dexedrine - isn't harmful. They need it, they stay, to stay awake and alert.

April 2002. Two American F-16s are flying a mission above Afghanistan. Believing themselves under attack, they go in for the kill. They did in fact hit Canadian soldiers. Four died, eight were wounded. The US Air Force says the pilots behaved recklessly !
Dexedrine is the drug the Air Force uses. It's given to keep pilots alert when their tired minds and bodies would prefer to sleep.

The RAF - joint coalition partner - has strict rules on stimulants:
"RAF aircrew don't take amphetamines under any circumstances" a spokesperson told Channel 4 News.

Source of facts - http://www.channel4.com/news/2003/05/week_1/01_speed.html

I also question the "duty of care" that any large organistaion has to provide to its employees... even the Military !.. openly allowing personnel to take drugs whilst in charge of a lethal weapon...??

Hmmmm - worrying !

One accepts accidents during times of conflicts, but that acceptence becomes null and void should it be proven drugs were taken by the person who "pressed the button".. or the one giving the order.

Today, there are adverts letting people know it is an offence to drive a car whilst even on prescription medication...

Re b9teamchief ... RETIRED !

You raise a valid point about bias, BUT, I have searchered and asked question for links from US sites stating facts about friendly fire on US Forces.. and surprise surprise none have been forthcoming - not even in your welcomed comments..

Feel free to add a link or 20.. for the sake of "fairness" ..

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=US+Friendly+fire+facts&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

I asked for comments, and hoped for anyone to add FACTS from a US point of view.

Unfortunately, I get basic comments based on personal views which are NOT backed up by facts.

I gave you the chance America.. you blew it - yet again !.. Just makes choosing best answer all the harder for me.. maybe to be seen to be fair, I should allow the Community to choose best answer, and hope "team chief" gets to hear about this...

http://uk.search.yahoo.com/search?p=US+Friendly+fire+FACTS&fr=FP-tab-web-t340&ei=UTF-8&meta=vc%3D

Re Wally A -

Read the question.. it's about "friendly fire" ie supposed allies being fired on NOT troops be they British or American or NATO firing on the "enemy"

To make it easier for you next time, think of it like this -

"Friendly fire" is troops wearing a uniform firing on other troops wearing a uniform.

Btw, had USA NOT invaded Iraq against International rule of law and advice, British troops would not be in such a postion there today... helping US troops out as asked BY the USA Commander-in Chief of the US Military aka George W Bush.

Back your comments up with links to facts and answer the actual question.

Answer 1

Its a sad fact of war that friendly fire accidents do happen. The powers that be need to look at length of flight times and how to reduce these times. This would eliminate the need for drugs or the incidents of accidents. The problem is that not as many people are signing up for armed forces duty, therefore the military is stretched thin...

Answer 2

You presented your theory... but was a bit shy on facts. Stimulants obviously affect the judgement of pilots as well as keep them awake, but you cannot draw a link of stimulants to all friendly fire incidents.

In 2006 in Afghanistan a Canadian patrol called in for air support and gave their location instead of the coordinates of the target. The problem working with planes an people is the planes need to engage while still miles out. A better system of identiying friendly forces that can't be intercepted by the enemy need to be devised.

Answer 3

Sure, I have a comment for you. Get your thumbs-down finger ready, because you aren't going to like it.

I think your post is nothing more than the semi-uneducated rantings of a civilian who has no military service behind him and therefore has no real understanding of how the military works. I say this opinion is "semi-uninformed" because you have based it on a sole news item which is obviously slanted against the US Air Force. Rather than do ANY further research on your own, you have taken this sole piece of opinionated reporting and stated it as the gospel fact - hence the use of it as a reference for your post.

I also think that you and the rest of the civilian world need to wake up and realize two facts about war: Fact #1 - in war, people die. Fact #2 - in war, friendly fire incidents are INEVITABLE.

Friendly Fire incidents have happened for as long as armies have taken to the field, and they will continue to happen for as long as armies take to the field. I wish you and the rest of the civilian population would realize this and stop using FF incidents to lambast our military, which is currently composed of VOLUNTEERS who have placed their lives on the line to protect the freedom that you so rashly and inconsiderately use to bad-mouth them.

Now go ahead and flag me or give me a thumbs-down, I really don't care, but remember this: YOU ASKED FOR MY OPINION. If you can't handle the answer, don't ask the question.

ADDED: Thank you for verifying my conclusion that you never served a day in the military. At leat I did my time (23 years of it) and have the bona fides to speak from personal experience.

If you want any reference posts, skippy, YOU post them. You asked the question, not me.

Answer 4

Violence breeds violence.
Your statistics only demonstrate your bias to your own kind. British forces committed direct atrocities on Iraqi civilians in Basra in numerous occasions, according to your anecdote the Brits don't use any stimulant... that's enforces the conclusions that British forces are even worst of the kind acting with premeditated savagery against unarmed civilians.

Answer 5

If our military is on stimulants, shame on us.

What I hate is the way the military tries to lie, say that an incident was combat related and only admit a friendly fire incident after the evidence gets out to the public.

Answer 6

Our whole nation is a society of drug addicts. Just look in the average person's medicine cabinet and see how much sugar and caffiene most people consume. America on Drugs is the only real hope Hellary has of getting elected. But it'll do just fine because most people are irresponsible when it comes to their own health.

Answer 7

Provigil would be so much better Mild speed, better focus!