Discussion
did anyone see john sim(p?)son from bbc give his report this morning??!?! while on air a medic comes up to him and he says dont worry yes its bleeding its just some shrapnel in his legs!!! Then he says sorry if he sounds excitable but his ears are bleeding from the bomb!! mad - kate adie must be well jealous!!
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Serious point
Having just listened to it - why on earth did they continue broadcasting it and not say "John go and get yourself attended to and report back when you're coherent"???
The guy is clearly shocked and distressed, giving conflicting reports within seconds (who wouldn't be?), so how can we expect a balanced view in these circumstances? There were few discernible facts.
What value does this give to the BBC listener? They're just pandering to the lowest common denominator of broadcasting/gutter press!
Time the BBC remembered what they're supposed to be doing -
Oi, GREG DYKE, get a grip!!!!
Having just listened to it - why on earth did they continue broadcasting it and not say "John go and get yourself attended to and report back when you're coherent"???
The guy is clearly shocked and distressed, giving conflicting reports within seconds (who wouldn't be?), so how can we expect a balanced view in these circumstances? There were few discernible facts.
What value does this give to the BBC listener? They're just pandering to the lowest common denominator of broadcasting/gutter press!
Time the BBC remembered what they're supposed to be doing -
Oi, GREG DYKE, get a grip!!!!
beano500 said: Serious point
Having just listened to it - why on earth did they continue broadcasting it and not say "John go and get yourself attended to and report back when you're coherent"???
The guy is clearly shocked and distressed, giving conflicting reports within seconds (who wouldn't be?), so how can we expect a balanced view in these circumstances? There were few discernible facts.
What value does this give to the BBC listener? They're just pandering to the lowest common denominator of broadcasting/gutter press!
Time the BBC remembered what they're supposed to be doing -
I think the medic was busy dealing with those seriously injured.If you listen to the tape you can hear the medic talking to him asking him if he was ok.
You can't just nip to the local hospital when your cars just been blown up
The bomb that went off was dropped by an American F15E.
Another friendly fire incident, initial reports are there are 12 dead.
There is something coming through on the news, about a Russian Convoy being attacked leaving Baghdad aswell, although it isn't known yet if it was another case of friendly fire.
Another friendly fire incident, initial reports are there are 12 dead.
There is something coming through on the news, about a Russian Convoy being attacked leaving Baghdad aswell, although it isn't known yet if it was another case of friendly fire.
seems to be a regular occurance these so called 'friendly fire' incidents.i thought the coallition forces vehicles were equiped with a device that tells these pilots they are 'friendly'?.
30 million dollar aircraft,state-of-the-art electronics,a heads-up-display system,hundreds of thousands of dollars in training and the bloody vehicles were marked with coallition signs.......and this is STILL happening????
no wonder our boys are getting union jacks to mark their motors!
30 million dollar aircraft,state-of-the-art electronics,a heads-up-display system,hundreds of thousands of dollars in training and the bloody vehicles were marked with coallition signs.......and this is STILL happening????
no wonder our boys are getting union jacks to mark their motors!
That must be nothing to the man who liberated Kabul.
To be honest, I'm surprised that John Simpson has not been "re-assigned" by the Special Forces he's with. My very limited experience of SAS members has taught me three things you don't do:
- Identify them
- Compromise their operations
- Pick a fight, or call them poofters
In two weeks, I've seen him (and his team) identify his position accurately, and film them in close up. Not wise.
To be honest, I'm surprised that John Simpson has not been "re-assigned" by the Special Forces he's with. My very limited experience of SAS members has taught me three things you don't do:
- Identify them
- Compromise their operations
- Pick a fight, or call them poofters
In two weeks, I've seen him (and his team) identify his position accurately, and film them in close up. Not wise.
I dunno - i thought he held himself together pretty well considering. If as he had said the bomb went off less than 20ft away and he received bleeding ears (presumably from the blast) and shrapnel in leg, hedid a pretty decent job of remaining reasonably fluid IMO.
Credit where credits due, how many of us would have been able to react like that - i for one would most like have been out cold on the floor with shock.
Mind you o was watching it on that crappy news24 program when it first came in and i do have to confess to having a bit of a giggle at the "i'm sorry to be so excitable, but i am bleeding from the ear comment" it was so bloody monty python it was unreal.
Credit where credits due, how many of us would have been able to react like that - i for one would most like have been out cold on the floor with shock.
Mind you o was watching it on that crappy news24 program when it first came in and i do have to confess to having a bit of a giggle at the "i'm sorry to be so excitable, but i am bleeding from the ear comment" it was so bloody monty python it was unreal.
But you have to bear in mind the circumstances - the Special Forces saw a tank firing towards their position, from a mile or so away. They called up an airstrike, not noticing that they had parked right next to a rusting old Iraqi tank!! Johnny fly-boy, fresh from Genetic Throwbackville, Arkansas ("Gotta kill me a few Eye-Rakkis for the folks back home") sees a bunch of foreigners milling around near a tank, through his amphetamine-clouded goggles, and lobs a bomb at them. Comedy (or tragedy, in this case) of errors.
Well I do not watch much telly, but I do watch the bbc news and John Simpson has done us proud today. he gave the best version of events on the incident - he had just been bombed and defended the guy that did it, offering an excuse that now sounds legit - within a minute or so of it happening.
Since then he has reported the facts has he saw them and has not once put his(or his teams) condition first - simply reported it in a factual way. I am weak - if it was me I would be calling that pilot all the names under the sun - he is not and I respect him for that, if nothing else, but his standard of reporting is, I think, above and beyond a lot of the dross out there.
2pworth
Paul
Since then he has reported the facts has he saw them and has not once put his(or his teams) condition first - simply reported it in a factual way. I am weak - if it was me I would be calling that pilot all the names under the sun - he is not and I respect him for that, if nothing else, but his standard of reporting is, I think, above and beyond a lot of the dross out there.
2pworth
Paul
With regards to the Friendly Fire Incidents i think alot of people are missing the point.
A majority of these incidents happen from when Air support is called in to help.
Now think if they didnt have this option to call on.
There would be a hell of alot more casulties due to enemy fire and normal army combat.
It is a dame shame that there are these incidents but the wider picture needs to be looked at.
BB
A majority of these incidents happen from when Air support is called in to help.
Now think if they didnt have this option to call on.
There would be a hell of alot more casulties due to enemy fire and normal army combat.
It is a dame shame that there are these incidents but the wider picture needs to be looked at.
BB
I just watched the stream of this on the bbc site. Madness!
I saw John Simpson years ago talking frankly with terrorists in one of his reports and it looked like they were going to shoot him in the face with every word he spoke, yet he kept asking them questions they didn't want to answer.
This guy is crazy! You can tell he is devoted to the news and doesn't give a **** what happens just as long as he can get a story. I take my hat off to him, he's braver than I would be in those situations.
At least he gets into the thick of things and doesn't worry about getting his expensive haircut into a mess like a lot of the other reporters.
I saw John Simpson years ago talking frankly with terrorists in one of his reports and it looked like they were going to shoot him in the face with every word he spoke, yet he kept asking them questions they didn't want to answer.
This guy is crazy! You can tell he is devoted to the news and doesn't give a **** what happens just as long as he can get a story. I take my hat off to him, he's braver than I would be in those situations.
At least he gets into the thick of things and doesn't worry about getting his expensive haircut into a mess like a lot of the other reporters.
Ballistic Banana said: With regards to the Friendly Fire Incidents i think alot of people are missing the point.
A majority of these incidents happen from when Air support is called in to help.
Now think if they didnt have this option to call on.
There would be a hell of alot more casulties due to enemy fire and normal army combat.
It is a dame shame that there are these incidents but the wider picture needs to be looked at.
BB
Not the point. We shouldn't be shooting at our own people regardless of any technological malfunction or failure. I knew guys in an AA battery and part of their training was to identify Warsaw Pact aircraft and armour by the silhouette. They were tested on this regularly and had to identify friend or foe just by a part of the silhouette, like a tail rudder or the turret. What amazes me is that the yanks with all their technology, IR sights, zoom lenses etc can still fail to do this. Best Army in the world - BOLLOCKS.
In Ireland if the squaddies over there shot a civvie then it wasn't a case of 'oh well next time we'll shoot the baddies' but one where they would be put in front of a civil or military court to answer for their actions. The American forces who commit these friendly fire incidents should answer in a similar way.
/rantmode off/
Edited to add: Sorry for any offence to our American members here but I know these incidents shouldn't happen and it really gets under my skin.
>> Edited by Del Sydyway on Monday 7th April 00:46
It's all right, I'm not offended at your distress about the friendly fire. Americans find it appalling also. So far the total death toll has been 71 Americans and 27 British, 5 British from friendly fire, and I think almost as many Americans from friendly fire as well. With all their equipment, I don't understand why they aren't able to attempt contact with these tanks and verify their identities before firing. Putting it in a percentage basis is really no comfort (out of 248000 U.S. troops, 5000 sorties/night, thousands of missiles launched, etc), as military standards for guidance manufacturing are supposed to be much more stringent than for regular industry. Let alone training to recognize by sight. It's hard for me to understand what happens in war, as you would have to be trained well enough to function amidst the terror of it all. Some of these offenders could be tried for recklessness, as these incidents are as grievious to Americans as well.
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