We had some soldiers conducting a patrol recently. Four were riding in the back of a 2-seat Hummer, facing out. One of them (allegedly) saw an Iraqi head pop up behind a fence, then drop back down. The Iraqi then popped back up aiming an AK 47 at the Hummer.
Our hero was carrying an M16 with an M203 grenade launcher attached to it. The M203 is usually an indirect fire weapon. That is, the bullet (grenade) goes up in an arc and then back down. Good for shooting into a defile, or behind a fence, or something. However, at close range it can be used pretty much as a direct fire weapon.
So, our guy tries a preemptive strike. Unfortunately, instead of using his M16 to return accurate fire, he used his M203. He missed the AK 47 wielding Iraqi, and landed the grenade in some other Iraqi's living room, taking out the coffee table and wounding the homeowner. So, now we're paying about $1,000 for personal injury, and will replace the damaged household goods. Nobody is sure whether the soldier really saw a threat or not.
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