Laserium

by digby

Apparently, US soldiers are being injured with friendly laser fire in Iraq:

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. These types 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.[…]
“We are all U.S. soldiers, you would never point your rifle at another soldier, don’t point your laser,” says a Sergeant in the 3rd ESC who experienced a laser incident.

Absolutely. These things are obviously really dangerous when shined in someone’s face. So what are they used for?

In 2006, the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force reportedly acquired 2,000 green lasers for use at checkpoints, as a tool to warn oncoming drivers to stop. Although they are said to be safe for eyes, 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.”

You’d better hope you don’t take a wrong turn in Iraq, that’s for sure. But hey, if they didn’t want to be blinded, they shouldn’t be living in a country that the US had to invade for no good reason. They only have themselves to blame.