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The Hurt Locker is a movie about how the Iraq war turned a guy into a suicidal thrill seeker. Plot elements that supported this were included. Reality elements that did not support it were not included.

This thread makes me want to reenlist as a sapper

Just saw this post but I agree that the movie was totally ludicrous, I worked with EOD guys in Iraq and Afghanistan. They definitely do not operate in this manner at all. We traveled lightly and only moved with three vehicles in our convoys mainly for the sake of speed and maneuverability also because we were huge targets. Only in the beginning of the invasion of Iraq (2003) mainly before the heavy insurgency did we move in single vehicles but we also did not have up armored HUMVEES then either. Also about the Barretts, we had one with us at all times and sometimes the EOD guys would have theirs as well. It is one helluva beast to fire although I have only tested it in practice. I have served with Airborne units and regular leg units while in the army. I am however Airborne qualified and wear my Airborne badge with pride, however the tab belongs to the unit meaning once you leave that unit the tab goes with the patch unless it's your combat unit.

xdfanatic wrote:Just saw this post but I agree that the movie was totally ludicrous, I worked with EOD guys in Iraq and Afghanistan. They definitely do not operate in this manner at all. We traveled lightly and only moved with three vehicles in our convoys mainly for the sake of speed and maneuverability also because we were huge targets. Only in the beginning of the invasion of Iraq (2003) mainly before the heavy insurgency did we move in single vehicles but we also did not have up armored HUMVEES then either. Also about the Barretts, we had one with us at all times and sometimes the EOD guys would have theirs as well. It is one helluva beast to fire although I have only tested it in practice. I have served with Airborne units and regular leg units while in the army. I am however Airborne qualified and wear my Airborne badge with pride, however the tab belongs to the unit meaning once you leave that unit the tab goes with the patch unless it's your combat unit.

I know that we had improved armor on our Humvees but I seriously doubt that it was anything like the norm they have now.
I never saw a single Barrett over there. All the snipers on our FOB looked like they carried the same thing that the Marine Snipers carried (30.06), but I am sure it was something else.
I think I see where you are going with the Tab thingie. I can wear any one of 5 combat patches, one saying Airborne and another one saying Mountain, but I am not qualified in either.
Keep in mind that all of my rantings on what looks real is based exclusively on what I have seen and experienced over there. That is one reason that I did go with this thread topic, as I really enjoy hearing input from others about this silly movie. I learn something new with every post.

AndyC wrote:I'm not going to go into any detail but often it was just me and a single Gurkha - and we ended up spending the night out in the desert on a number of occasions (it was necessary, I'm not going to go into why). Not the most comforting thing to do, but we often had to perform balancing acts and make impromptu decisions on the spot which flew against our SOPs as long as it was for the greater good.

The reputation of the Gurkhas makes me think of the "one riot, one ranger" quote.

3dfxMM wrote:EOD and Sappers are not eligible to attend sniper school. Only Infantry, Cavalry Scouts, and Special Forces are authorized to attend. Also, there is no official sniper tab. There are only four tabs authorized, President's 100, Special Forces, Ranger, and Sapper. Soldiers can only wear three, which isn't a problem for very many Soldiers. Getting all four would be rare.

The Barrett isn't only used by guys who have graduated sniper school. My son was the designated Barrett guy on his team in Iraq.

Yes and no.
Students must be of Combat Arms MOS
The following MOS's are Combat Arms.
Infantry
Armor (including Armored Cavalry)
Field Artillery
Air Defense Artillery
Army Aviation (e.g., Attack Helicopter and Air Cavalry units)
Special Forces
Combat Engineer
Soldiers must be in the rank of PFC and above;
However, only MOS 11B and 18-series MOS will be awarded the B4 ASI upon graduation; as per DA PAM 611-21, CH 12, page 911, Table 12-2.

There are only three Special Skill Tabs . Ranger, Special Forces and Sapper.
The President’s Hundred tab is a separate deal all together

The Barrett M82 and variants (Also known as the M107, or XM107) Is used by the units designated marksmen, or Sniper team.. There is no requirement to go to the US Army Sniper school prior to using it., only that your are trained. Many units have fewer school qualified Snipers then duty positions, as such it's common for a unit to train there designated marksmen in house.

NOTE: None of this is intended as to sharp shoot the OP (pun intended..)
It’s what I do for a living, so though I’d comment for clarity and correction..

Purplehood wrote:I never saw a single Barrett over there. All the snipers on our FOB looked like they carried the same thing that the Marine Snipers carried (30.06), but I am sure it was something else.

Likely the M24 or M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (or M110 SASS)

This thread is fascinating thus far.

Purplehood wrote:I think I see where you are going with the Tab thingie. I can wear any one of 5 combat patches, one saying Airborne and another one saying Mountain, but I am not qualified in either.

Those are
Tabs that are an integral part of Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI), such as airborne or mountain, are worn
directly above the SSI. These are only worn when you are in the unit whose SSI includes that designated tab. It is not earned, just a unit ID deal.


Special skill Tabs like Ranger or Special Forces which you must earned.

Oh, and EOD dude and Dudeettes.. Most are pretty good both technically and professionally.

Some
Are simply retarded .

This dudes unit commanded directed he should place the C4 charge on the IED's the ground units found from inside his vehicle with a Loooooong stick.. When we found a few IEDs this would not work on, he had to call and get special permission to get off the truck, had to spend an hour getting in to the bomb suit, and then we (me) had to walk him to the bomb.

Best quote of the year.. bomb Dude to me " 1SG, ya know I can not move to fast in this suit,, once I set the charge,, if someone start shooting or something you’re not going to run off and leave me ...are you?"
Me to Bomb dude: " That depends... How close are we to cover?"

3dfxMM wrote:

My son-in-law-to-be is Sapper qualified, so I've been studying up on it. It is a qualification below "Ranger" and involves passing a 28 day course at Ft. Leonard Wood (In one of the classes I heard about, less than half passed).

I think it would be more accurate to say that it is a different qualification, rather than below. Both Sapper School and Ranger School are leadership courses. They just go about it a bit differently and put emphasis on different things. Any Soldier sporting any one of the tabs earned it through a lot of hard work and probably a good bit of pain and suffering as well.

Thanks for the clarification. I did not mean to take anything away from the status of being Sapper qualified. My statement was based on my understanding that the Sapper tab is worn below the Special Forces and Ranger tabs, and my impression that Sapper school is shorter than Ranger School.

If my future son-in-law is typical of the men who wear the Sapper tab, I am most impressed. He has certainly earned my respect thus far, both in the way he has treated my daughter, and in the man he is proving to be. In the last ten months he has begun to train for and completed a full Iron Man Triathlon, begun and completed a Masters Degree in Environmental Engineering, and begun and completed Career School. The wedding is in November, he got a deferred deployment, and will leave in January for his second tour in Afghanistan. When he returns next fall, he is hoping his unit will send him to get Ranger qualified.

3dfxMM wrote:I think it would be more accurate to say that it is a different qualification, rather than below. Both Sapper School and Ranger School are leadership courses. They just go about it a bit differently and put emphasis on different things. Any Soldier sporting any one of the tabs earned it through a lot of hard work and probably a good bit of pain and suffering as well.

Very True
IMHO, it would be better to say, The SAPPER course is a leadership course, but that is about the only thing the same as the Ranger course.
the Ranger course.

Not taking anything away from the SAPPER course,, but, it is not compairable to Ranger School.

SAPPER Course
Course Length: 4 Weeks 0.0 Days
Course Scope:

Train and develop junior leaders in a team building environment, to perform proficiently and confidently on battle drills, specialized light engineer and infantry techniques and leadership skills needed to perform in a contemporary operating environment. Designed to build esprit de corps and teamwork by training them in demolitions (conventional and expedient), mountaineering operations, aerial operations, land navigation, waterborne operations, urban breaching, MOUT operations, threat weapons, combatives, threat doctrine, troop leading procedures and combat orders. Taught over 28 consecutive days and combines both classroom instruction and hands-on application. Culminates with an intense field training exercise to reinforce the use of the battle drills, patrolling and specialized techniques learned throughout the course
Prerequisites
Male or Female volunteer, Active 5 mile run (8-minute/mile pace), 12-mile foot march ( 15-minute/mile pace) with 35-pound rucksack, and day and night land navigation
Ranger School
Course Length: 8 Weeks 5.0 Days
Course Scope:

The U.S. Army's Ranger Course develops the combat arms related functional skills, of officer and enlisted volunteers who are eligible for assignment to units whose primary mission is to engage in the close-combat, and direct fire battle in order to return to the Army a mentally and physically tough leader capable of (planning, organizing, and executing) a small unit combat operation in any environment.
Prerequisites
Ranger Training is available on a voluntary basis only for enlisted soldiers who are in the following primary MOS, E-4 and above.
11- Infantry
*12B - Combat Engineer
*13F - Fire Support Sergeant
*14S - Avenger Crewman
18 - Special Forces Personnel
*19D - Calvary Scout
19K - Armor Crewman
OFFICER PERSONNEL: Ranger Training is available on a voluntary basis only for Officers in the following Career Management Fields.

11A - Infantry Officer
12A - Armor Officers allocated against authorized 12C positions.
12C - Calvary Officers
*13A - Fire Support Offices
*14B - Short Range Air Defense Officers
18A - Special Forces Officers
*21B - Combat Engineer Officers

Yes and no.
Students must be of Combat Arms MOS

Thanks for the correction. I knew that but was in too much of a hurry and botched the information.

IMHO, it would be better to say, The SAPPER course is a leadership course, but that is about the only thing the same as the Ranger course.

Not taking anything away from the SAPPER course,, but, it is not compairable to Ranger School.

I wasn't trying to say they were comparable, just that I didn't feel they should necessarily be viewed as above or below one another. Much like when people try to say that SF, SEALs, Rangers, etc., are better than each other. They are different units with different missions and different training, not better or worse than each other.

At first I had images of you out in the desert smoking a cigar (a Gurkha), but only ONE? As in only ONE cigar for a night? Man, you are TOUGH! I need more cigars than that for one night!

But then I snapped back to reality and made the non-cigar Gurkha connection (as in the Gurkha soldiers).

As an aside, even if you do NOT like cigars, what's NOT to like about the Gurkha cigar band?

cling wrote:

AndyC wrote:I'm not going to go into any detail but often it was just me and a single Gurkha - and we ended up spending the night out in the desert on a number of occasions (it was necessary, I'm not going to go into why). Not the most comforting thing to do, but we often had to perform balancing acts and make impromptu decisions on the spot which flew against our SOPs as long as it was for the greater good.

The reputation of the Gurkhas makes me think of the "one riot, one ranger" quote.