Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

U.S. Soldiers Blind Each Other With Lasers, Blame Lack of Training

by Chad Mumm on March 30, 2009 at 11:12 AM


What did your mom tell you about pointing lasers in other people's eyes? Apparently, U.S. troops in Iraq have recently suffered a rash of laser "friendly fire" incidents; since November, one unit has experienced 12 such incidents, resulting in the injuries of 14 soldiers. Of the 14, one soldier was permanently blinded in one eye and three more were forced to undergo medical evacuation, according to a report by Sgt. Crystal Reidy of the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC). Capt. Russell Harris, an ESC troop commander from Denison, Texas, chalks up the incidents to a lack of training with the devices, writes Sgt. Reidy.

Although they might conjure up images of 'Star Wars,' lasers have found use in military convoys as a means of deterring non-authorized vehicles. These green laser "dazzlers" are meant to be non-lethal and non-damaging to the eyes, but, according to Wired's Danger Room report, some troops have instead been issued much more powerful lasers, intended only for weapon aiming and designating targets. Since these models are apparently still being used as dazzlers, and since many soldiers may think the devices are harmless, it's not entirely surprising that there have been so many incidents.

Sgt. Chris Horvath, a victim of one of these incidents, told Sgt. Reidy, "We are all U.S. Soldiers, you would never point your rifle at another Soldier, don't point your laser." We couldn't agree more, Sergeant, but we can't help thinking that reminds us of something we've heard before... [From: Gouverneur Times, Via: Wired]

Related Links:

Tags: army, laser, military, military tech, MilitaryTech

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular