USE THE PREDATOR



                                    
       I sit here at home and wonder what is wrong with this picture.  I have my TV on to the Military Channel where it shows our troops patrolling roads and trying to detect IED's in Iraq.  One day a patrol goes out to check the road.  All day long these troops are busy checking for bombs and they cover two miles.  The next day, a convoy leaves the camp, and gets hit by, you guessed it.  While I do not fault the troops in any way whatsoever, it strikes me as damn strange about the leadership.  

       I know that there are UAV's being used in Irag.  These are unmanned ariel vehicles.  The most commonly used that I know of is called the predator.  It can be armed if needed, and they have the capability of staying aloft for thirty hours or more at a time.  They are invisible as 30,000 feet or more is their ceiling.  With the cameras on board, they can detect anything that moves on the ground, even in the night time.  As I hear of our troops getting killed and injured by these bombs, I have to ask myself why in the hell does not our leaders put these vehicles in the air patrolling the roads that they know damn well are going to mined by the insurgents?

       If this were done, we would know when and where the bombs were, thus being able to remove them, or at the very least, avoid them before they were used against us.  I am not some kind of genius, but commonn sense tells me that this could be done.  After all, the only result is to save our troops from harm.  One day, there is nothing, then the next day, the IED's are there, and our troops are killed or injured.  I hear all of this propa-ganda about how well we are doing.  Why in the world is this not being done?  We have uksed the predator for armed strikes, and yet when it comes down to the basics, there is no thought given for it's use for saving the lives of those in most danger.  

       The Customs agents here in America use the predator to help patrol our American/Mexican border.  If they can do it, so can the military.  Do not tell me the Customs agents are so much smarter than the commisioned officers of the Marine Corp.  This predator, if used, keeps the troops out of harms way, can be used in any weather, doesn't get tired, have to sleep or eat, and does a fantastic job.  When the insurgents plant a bomb, the camera not only captures the pictures of them doing it, but can also tell us where the bombs are,  Once known, we can take appropriate action to disable them, quicker, faster and safer, and our troops can be used much more effectively.  Isn't that what we are supposed to be doing over there, besides winning their hearts and minds?

       Perhaps, some one in power will happen upon this article and take it to heart.  Maybe they might take a suggestion and implement this or something similar.  This is not asking for the impossible, just utilize the tools you have in a more effective manner.  I am aware the military is not open for suggestions from the rank and file.  If one isn't an officer of a certain status, what in the hell do you know anyway?  For them, it is better to just waste lives and keep on doing what they have always done.  Ignore the obvious.  Perhaps I am wrong, and I really hope I am.  So, prove it to me, and start thinking out of the box, work smarter, not harder. The impossible is only impossible until someone with courage and determination steps forward and makes it possible.  

Written by Smokey Miller
2009-02-06