G.I.s Blinded, Hospitalized by Laser 'Friendly Fire'

[Ian David]

Source: Wired Magazine

G.I.s Blinded, Hospitalized by Laser 'Friendly Fire'
By David Hambling EmailMarch 30, 2009 | 8:50:00 AMCategories: Bizarro, Lasers and Ray Guns, Less-lethal

An American solider 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 to be the result of the misuse of green laser dazzlers — and because the lasers being used are dangerous.

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.

<snip>

It is not clear what type of laser was involved. In 2006, the Army's Rapid Equipping Force reportedly acquired two thousand green lasers for use at checkpoints, as a tool to warn oncoming drivers to stop. Although they are said to be eye-safe, the unspecified lasers are also described as being fifty times the power of normal red laser pointers. (Green light is far more effective than red for dazzling.) MSNBC noted in 2006 that troops were trained not to use the laser closer than 75 yards, as this "would cause eye damage."

These type of laser injuries appear to be common when units first deploy to Iraq, and may be the result of inadequate training; soldiers may assume that the lasers are harmless and use them without due caution.





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

[Eric J in MN]

1. They should put up normal traffic lights which turn red...

...to get drivers to stop.

[truthisfreedom]

2. Absolutely stupid. Here's the website that sells this garbage.

Harmless my ass.

http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/Photonic_Disruptor-65-3.html

[Ian David]

3. Oh, wow...

I got this lazer as a birthday present and i love it. I can easily pop balloons and light matches.

That's a lot of power for about $30.00

Do you need a license for these things?

[TheWraith]

5. No, no license needed. You can buy them online.

Of course it tends to be self-correcting, because the people who don't know what they're doing usually hurt themselves, and/or destroy the laser from overuse.

[kestrel91316]

11. Or, like the crazy guy in Topanga Canyon who supposedly has one,

someday they will blind one of the people they shine it on.

This is a dangerous weapon.

[Politicalboi]

7. They cost

$600.00. So hopefully that will stop some "morans" from buying it.

[soothsayer]

14. are these the green lasers that (supposedly) blind pilots when folks point them at planes

and magically hit the cockpit?

[Thor_MN]

15. Only when used by people that can conceptualize that objects moving direct towards

have very little apparent motion and that a laser beam diverges as it gets further from it's source. Those that have never been near an airport and watched an airplane approach wouldn't have a chance in hell of pointing at the plane hanging motionless in the sky as it just gets bigger as it gets closer. Those people think that since the plane is flying hundreds of miles an hour and you couldn't possibly accurately point at it. They also tend to think that the beam is still a little dot when it's a couple miles away.

[formercia]

20. The best quote:

"I got this lazer as a birthday present and i love it. I can easily pop balloons and light matches."

Fry eyeballs too.

[Platypus]

4. Get rid of them

It should be mentioned here that the Geneva conventions prohibit weapons intended to blind adversaries. Of course, the people who make these things try to claim that their products are intended to have only short-term effects, but that's basically a lie on which they and the US military collude in order to deploy these things. I'd say that they should be banned, but in fact they already have been banned and it remains only to enforce that ban.

[TheWraith]

6. I was just about to point that out about blinding weapons.

In fact, laser weapons are specifically outlawed by the 1995 Convention on Conventional Weapons.

[Ian David]

8. That sucks. Because I had but one, simple request...

... and that was sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads.

[sakabatou]

17. Well we did get you something. Sea bass.

Temperamental sea bass.

[gratuitous]

10. Oh, that's just another quaint provision from an ancient document

Thankfully, we had the Bush administration in place for eight years to determine categorically what laws should and shouldn't be followed. Too bad for those military personnel blinded by these illegal weapons, but they were just asking for it by volunteering, so it's their own goddam fault if they spend the next several decades tapping a white cane while finding their favorite street corner to hold a tin cup.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

9. I wonder how many blind Iraqi's we created due to these green lazers being shined into their eyes?

[kestrel91316]

12. Oh, probably LOTS.

[Nihil]

18. Yeah but they don't count do they?

Most have probably been murdered "killed as terrorists"
or kidnapped "arrested" and the others would be blamed
on some other aspect of the wonderful world of Iraqi freedom
that they've been so privileged to enjoy for the last couple
of decades ...

[winyanstaz]

13. As Commander in Chief, President Obama needs to do something

about this.
It is just simply morally wrong to use these kind of weapons that blind innocent people.
Whoever it is that gave the ok to use weapons that blind people for use at stop points needs to be demoted at the very least. It is shocking to me that any human being would be that stupid and careless about something that can injure our own troops and innocent civilians as well. In fact I think it is a war crime to deliberately use something that will blind civilians and our own troops.

[LynnTheDem]

16. The same weapon soon to be making it's appearance in America.

For "crowd control".

Gotta wake up a whole lot faster, America.

[bvar22]

19. I believe that this is what brought down Paul Wellstone's plane.

Low & slow on approach.
It would only take one or two guys in a jeep.(no broad conspiracy)
NO evidence after the crash.
Cheney verbally threatened Wellstone on his IWR vote. ("We will get you and your family")....

or, it could have been pilot error.
We will NEVER KNOW for sure.