Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Piffer Thread on Political Rantings and Ravings -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Techplayer who wrote (10047)	3/23/2003 10:13:21 PM
From: Techplayer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14610

hmmm....12 years to prepare and this happens? Sand Snag Patriot Takes Long, Slow Trip Though Iraqi Desert Reporter's Notebook Stephanie Gosk W I T H 3 2 n d A R M Y A I R M I S S I L E D E F E N S E, Southern Iraq, March 23 — "Patriots were not made for this, not made for this at all," frustrated battery commander Capt. Douglas Lynch said after hearing that all of the Patriot missile launchers in his unit had gotten stuck in the sand. It was only six hours into a grueling 30-hour trip from the Kuwaiti border to a location 15 miles west of the Iraqi town of Nasiriya. The Patriot launchers weigh about 8 tons each, so when they hit the soft sand just north of Kuwait, they became buried deep in the sand — not just once, but several times. Soldiers in the unit let out air in the tires and struggled to chain the stranded launchers to other, more desert-worthy vehicles. But the victory of getting the trailers moving again was replaced by new frustration, as the launchers sank again after rolling just a few feet. ‘The Best Unit Out There’ Days earlier, the soldiers in this Patriot missile convoy were excited and proud that they had been chosen to move forward with ground forces and protect two key bridges over the Euphrates River. "We feel that we are the best unit out here," Sgt. Christopher Cook said in an interview at the unit's Kuwaiti camp. "We're getting the mission we deserve and that's tip of the spear." Although the troops were clearly ready, the equipment's ability to withstand the journey remained in question. A Delicate System Patriot missile systems are made up of a system of delicate electronics susceptible to frequent failures. While stationary in Kuwait, each battery in this unit had almost daily problems that caused the system to shut down. Commanders worried that the combined stress of a long trip and sand in the electronics could render the radar and computers useless by the time they arrived on site. After hours of battling sand — a far more challenging opponent than the nonexistent Iraqi forces — the battery found a relatively hard surface on which to travel. Another Snag The next problem turned out to be the military's own confused push north. The Patriot missile convoy of about 300 vehicles, which included infantry forces, tanks and Marines, merged with at least three more convoys of similar size, and they all wanted to move the same way on the same road. For hours everyone just stopped and stared at each other, unable to untangle the morass. It was an unexpected sight to see American forces stopped dead in their tracks, not by enemy fire, but by the sheer size of their force. Here, At Last The weary convoy finally rolled up to its site after traveling almost nonstop for a day and a half. What used to be an Iraqi government complex had been completely leveled. A radar station was abandoned and the equipment destroyed. The only thing left standing was a placard of Saddam Hussein smiling brightly to greet the arriving troops. Covered with dust and sleep-deprived, the last thing the soldiers wanted to see was a jubilant poster of the Iraqi president. "We should put a bull's-eye on it," quipped Sgt. Tracy Bailey. ‘Quite a Show’ Although there was no sign of enemy ground forces when they arrived, an advance team used to secure the area described a substantial artillery battle the night before and that morning. Spc. Christopher Reeve could barely contain his excitement after having seen it. "Quite a show," said Reeve. "Seven or eight tanks shooting 70 to 80 rounds a piece." Two soldiers in an infantry unit were injured during the fighting. A small unconfirmed number of Iraqi soldiers surrendered and the rest left behind a large cache of artillery. Moment of Truth In less than an hour, the Patriot missiles were set up, and it was the moment of truth for the computers and the radar. Everything worked and everyone was relieved. Maybe Patriot systems were made for this, after all. A little later, another battery arrived. Though the convoy had left that morning from the border, it took them less than half the time to get here. They took the highway