March 08, 2002

FrontPage links to this story of freshman mortarmen in Afghanistan.

There's a sequence at the end that's almost comedic: first, our boys are pinned down by al-Qaida mortars, firing from three positions over two miles away. So they call in air support. Two of the positions are flattenned, but the other ridegetop position stubbornly remains untouched. The 'Qaidas--wily devils that they are--hide until the air support's ordinance has detonated, then pop up, wave mockingly, and fire off some more mortars. Somehow, they manage to do the same thing when our boys return fire with their 60mm mortars.

But, ah! We know mathematics, and are also wily. Our Captain Butler has his mortarmen calculate how long it's taking the shells to reach their targets. As it turns out, the 32-second travel time gives the 'Qaidas plenty of time to hide as soon as they hear the mortars go off.

So, the good Captain calls in air support, and orders his mortars fired at the exact moment the mortarmen hear the ordinance detonate. The 'Qaidas hide, then pop up, wave mockingly...and explode.

D'oh!