Bombs Under Control...!?!

I forgot to mention the other day I witnessed a controlled explosion the other day when I went to lunch. Well it was somewhat under control anyway. The story goes as such, myself and 2 of our great protective service individuals went to lunch and when we got to the checkpoint we were asked to hold for a minute while they got rid of some ordnance. Not 5 seconds after he asked us to hold came a small explosion and a dust cloud probably 100 or more feet away from us. A second after that a piece of shrapnel came and landed 20 feet in front of our car and bounced past us from right to left. It was a small fragment, but had we been moving at the time they did their "controlled explosion" it might have hit our car.

Interestingly enough there are several locations where there are explosives ordnance that didn't go off on impact that is still around. When they cant get to it they will tape off the area in some way or another and come back to it. I saw one that (from what I was told) had been there for a year now. See we were told that only 45% of the mortars shot are duds, but that was back in December. So the actual mortar isn't a threat, but it still has explosives inside so they detonate the explosives to keep them from "accidentally" blowing up or even possibly being set off by another landing within its proximity.

Another interesting tid bit that I was told when I was in orientation in Kuwait back in December (man that seems forever ago) the guy said that our biggest concern shouldn't be the insurgents, but private PSD teams and the Army convoys. Which under the circumstances you can understand, because the military and the Private security details have been targets of opportunity to the insurgents. I mean this doesn't give them the excuse to shoot first and ask questions later, but you can see where they can be a little skittish and high strung. Not something I have to worry to much about, but just something I have to be aware of. When I was home it was funny having other things to worry about other than the things I have gotten use to here. Things seemed so small when I was back home, having seen the world from this perspective has its advantages. You learn the hard way that in the grand scheme of things we are a spec on the grand design. The thing to remember is whether or not we are that spec to be remembered or just another smug that needs cleaning...!! Ponder on that for a moment...