Memoirs of an Outlaw: Life in the Sandbox

Chapter 23: Close Call

After about two months' experience dealing with IEDs, we had become fairly familiar with the bombs and what they may be hidden in. However, we never stopped learning.

On one of our usual patrols along the same route and about the same time (not many people must have passed the terrorism awareness MCI), we were lucky enough to spot one. Corporal Klinger was the gunner of Lieutenant Snipes’s vehicle. He was standing up in the turret assisting Lieutenant Snipes in the IED scans. We were going to go over an overpass to go back in the direction we came from when Klinger flinched. He called over to the lieutenant that he had spotted an IED as they passed it, hoping to stop the patrol before the next vehicle passed it in case it was detonated. It just so happened that the next vehicle was mine.

The first two vehicles continued forward for about two hundred yards, and Sergeant Learn’s vehicle stayed behind about two hundred yards. Our vehicle was positioned about a hundred yards from the bomb when we came to a halt. Staff Sergeant Phelps called over the intercom for me to take someone with me to go over and check it out to see if it was actually a bomb or just trash.

I rogered up, got out of the scout compartment, and pulled out my binoculars to get a better glance of what I was going to get close to. From what I could tell, it looked like an old inner tube. However, Klinger had stated he saw a wire sticking out of it, which I could not confirm with my binoculars, so I had to get a closer look.

I called for my saw gunner, Lance Corporal Redd, to provide security for me as I checked the area. I went through the normal procedures of scanning the immediate area of the bomb looking for any signs of wire leading to the bomb and then scanned the area two hundred yards out looking for a possible triggerman. After determining it was clear, I decided we could get closer to get a better look, but I was hesitant. I scanned my surroundings again, as did Redd, to see if I could spot any triggerman in the distance. The last thing we needed was to get close and then blown to bits.

We inched closer to get a better look, and I noticed a thin copper wire protruding from the tire. I called back that I did see the wire, but I couldn’t determine if there was any explosive inside. Redd walked up to it and gave it a nudge with his boot. I flinched and looked at Redd as if to say, “What the fuck did you do that for?” As it didn’t explode, I leaned over and gently opened the split inner tube to glance inside.

“Holy shit! Get back, Redd. IED!” I yelled.

We slowly inched away from it, and when we were about twenty feet away, we took off like bolts of lightning.

When we got back to the vehicle, I informed Staff Sergeant Phelps of what I had seen. It seemed to be some sort of artillery shell. He passed the information back to Lieutenant Snipes, who then gave a call to EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal). Lieutenant Snipes needed some more information on it, though. He wanted to know if there was anything attached to the shell that would act as a triggering device. I had no idea because I didn’t care to see past the shell to find out more. However, we needed to find out, so he sent Sergeant Nava out to assist me.

As we approached the IED, I informed Nava of what I had done and seen. He then proceeded to do the same thing. He slowly opened the tube to peer inside. After identifying the shell, he couldn’t find any triggering device, but he wanted to check out the other side of the tube to make sure. He opened the other side wide enough to see a box that contained what appeared to be the electronic board of a remote control car with wires connecting it to the artillery shell. All the triggerman needed was the remote control to detonate the bomb.

“Shit, Tanner, it’s an IED,” Nava said in a worried voice.  “Let’s slowly back away and act like it’s nothing big just in case someone is watching us.”

We cautiously backed away from the explosive and jogged back to our respective vehicles. By this point, we figured if there was a triggerman, he would have pulled the trigger, so we were a bit more relaxed.

Eventually, a team of EOD specialists arrived at the scene. Lieutenant Snipes went over to inform them of the situation and called Nava and me over to give a better description of the IED. Meanwhile, some of the other members from EOD were setting up a computer and putting a robot on the road.

The robot was interesting looking. It looked as if it were straight out of television, with an long arm protruding from its body and four all-terrain wheels. Mounted on top was a camera that acted as the “eyes” for the robot. The computer was more of a laptop with a joystick. It controlled the robot wirelessly and had an image on the screen of what the robot saw.

The EOD team began to direct the robot toward the bomb. Once it made it to the IED, the camera zoomed in on it to give the controllers a better look. They guided the robot to grab the inner tube with its arm to look inside. The camera showed the box with the innards to a remote control car and the wire connecting it to the bomb. Carefully, they ordered the robot to extend its arm toward the wire to pull it. I could feel the apprehension in the air. It seemed as if everyone was holding his breath while the robot was pulling the wire. What seemed like hours took mere seconds to perform. The robot pulled the wire out, and nothing happened. The controllers then directed the robot to grab the remote control box and wire and drag it out from the tube.

Once they were certain that the bomb couldn’t be detonated, an EOD staff sergeant donned a bomb suit. How it protected against bombs, I will never know. It looked like a giant space suit but a bit boxier. The most it looked like it could do was protect against burns.

The staff sergeant cautiously approached the inner tube. He opened up one end of it and slid the artillery shell out. The shell was huge. We later found out it was a South African 155 mm artillery shell, which is a longer version of an American artillery shell. He hoisted the shell onto his shoulder and began to walk back to us.

When he was about halfway back, he lost his footing and fell backward. Everyone leaped for cover. I closed my eyes and hid behind the Humvee. I was anticipating a huge explosion. Nothing.

The staff sergeant stood back up, waved his hand to tell us he was OK, threw the artillery shell back on his shoulder, and walked back toward us. I think my stomach was still in my throat when he got back. He had a big grin on his face and apologized for scaring the crap out of everyone. Everybody had a good laugh about it, but inside I could tell everyone was just thanking his lucky stars that it didn’t go off. Some probably wanted to smack the guy upside the head.

That IED was one of the first ones we actually found intact. Most of the others just blew up. We were extremely lucky this time. If there had been a triggerman watching us, I wouldn’t be telling this story. I’d be lying in a box in pieces.