& the latest contender is…
This mornings entry in my now long running African Infantryman of the Year competition is Jamal…
I mean, how much do you want Jamal to actually pull the trigger on that RPG? No only would the BBC / CNN go one light in the journo dept (because to my mind, beardo looks just like a journo who has bitten off more than he can chew) but even if the grenade didn’t detonate, it would punch a boat sinking sized hole in the keel
Comments
A mere fleshwound.
Posted by: thud | November 3, 2008 12:07 PM
Thanks for the Monday morning laugh-out-loud. That's hilarious!
Posted by: Amy | November 3, 2008 1:50 PM
Note that the Tango to Jamal's 11 O'Clock (we'll call him Hakim) is aiming at the photographer.
Now, Rule One* being "Never point your weapon at something you don't want to destroy", what does this say about the Tangos'--or at least, Hakim's--dedication to Getting The Word Out?
Actually, my first reaction on seeing that photo was it was a still from the sort of television ad I really hate, trying to get me to send in my money to help Save The Children in some pestilence-ridden third world bog hole. "For only 53 cents a day, you can buy Hakim a full magazine of 7.62x39 to help him resist Western Oppression. Three dollars buys Jamal a new PG7 rocket!"
*Some say Rule One is "All Weapons Are Always Loaded", but as a National Rifle Association instructor, that isn't so much a Rule as it is the underlying philosophy behind them. Especially since Rule Two is "Don't Load It Until You Need It." ("But, Mr. Drang! I have a carry permit..." "Then you need it. Remember Rules One and Three: Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until You're Ready To Shoot.")
Posted by: D.W. Drang | November 3, 2008 4:41 PM
It wouldn't punch a hole in the boat ... not enough distance there for proper acceleration.
It would knock him senseless, and carom about the boat ... if we were lucky, it would stay in the boat, burn and hurt people, and explode when the rocket motor was nearly expended ( standard design feature for an RPG ).
Posted by: Kristopher | November 3, 2008 5:12 PM
I tried posting that one as a comment to the last infantryman contest pic, but it wouldn't load. heres a new entrant :D
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2943720897_58275133d1_o.jpg
amphibious assault troop maybe?
Posted by: Rhys | November 3, 2008 11:32 PM
Ah, never mind about the aphibious assult element, I see he's already been covered back in http://www.fmft.net/archives/001463.html
I must have overlooked him.
Posted by: Rhys | November 3, 2008 11:44 PM
It's good to see that one traditionalist has eschewed the charms of the Kalashnikov for the good old L1A1 SLR. The blue twine webbing is particularly fetching.
I do wonder if Jamal has ever fired that RPG? His head is so close to the exhaust venturi that he'd probably blow his eardrum out. What a shame that would be.
Posted by: John K | November 5, 2008 5:25 PM
Just browsing through and saw the caption. FYI - this guy is an oil company executive that was kidnapped in Nigeria about 2 years ago. The rebels were resorting to kidnapping to get ransom money from the big oil companies. There was an expo on this in the economist and that is where this photo is from. Now on to "Jamal" (the guy with the rocket)... if you look closely you'll notice that the safety cap is still covering the detonator. If he did fire this RPG it wouldn't explode. That doesn't negate that the rocket itself as a projectile would remove whitey's head from his torso - but in addition the initial blast from the launcher would probably set 3 of his comrades on fire as well as rock the boat enough to dump them all into the river. With the understanding that common sense probably doesn't dictate these guys' actions... in actuality this guy isn't in danger of being shot - at least not on purpose.
I think he and his colleagues were released after 2 o 3 weeks in captivity.
Posted by: Infidel | November 26, 2008 1:57 AM