U.S. Soldier Survives Taliban Machine Gun Fire During Firefight

[Shuffler]

i think gman is right that is a fake video.


semp

Yup

[JunkyII]

Let me be clear. This guy is an idiot for posting this on YouTube....

This guy is an idiot for how he reacted under fire. He is a little girl for crying like one.

My mind on the matter doesn't change with semp's point because a firefight is a firefight.

Suppression is the biggest part of a fight, then you move when you have them pinned down.

If you are suppressed you pop smoke, break contact and bring in the steel rain.

This guy acted like a gun hoe butter bar who put more lives in danger with his foolish actions.

He brings bad credit to the US Army Infantry, something I take pride in being apart of.

[Slash27]

My fat butt would have been rolling down that hill screaming like a girl.

[madhogg]

Video is a fake

[Widewing]

Like I said in my first sentence, if I'm wrong I am.  The dust impacts and however they were created are the smallest bit of evidence which points to BS.  The guys kit, the sounds, the lack of skills, the lack of others communication...all the other stupid things..... I stand by my statements and the personal experience which allows me to make them.  Granted the majority of the contact I came into was around vehicles and roads, not on hilly terrain as an Infantry soldier does as in this video,  but as I stated earlier I've been doing this a long time and the behavior of people who are professionals and soldiers under fire remains a constant.  This guy exhibits NONE of these behavior traits.

Also note that there is no information regarding who is in the video.  No name, unit, date and time....

Then check out this guys funker360 Page.....doesn't exude loads of confidence to me that this one video is authentic compared to some of his others.  He won't answer my questions regarding who and where this video was acquired from yet either.


Also, a few final points, this guy yells out "I'm hit, I'm hit" about 15 times in the last sequence on the video.  Point 1: Nobody answers him...strange huh?  Point 2:  Although he's "hit", he can grab the sling of the rifle he "dropped" (snicker, flipped away from himself) and yank it back to himself, but he isn't OK enough to get up and move to better cover, or better yet, CHECK HIMSELF FOR WOUNDS.  Yelling I'm hit over and over again, yet not saying where or showing any indication of checking the spot where he's been hit with either of his hands which show to be uninjured in the video?  Come ON.  Then the video description says he took "all 4 rounds in the armor".... Oooh this is getting better and better.  Try and watch the video again without laughing, I can't.  

For the gun guys on the board, did you notice the brand stamp on the right side of the receiver in dull white letters when he does his thirty second reload?  This is the one bit of physical evidence that proves me right beyond any shadow of a doubt.  The US military sources its M4 rifles from only certain manufacturers.  This isn't one of them.  

Fake? Are the rounds hitting the rocks in front of him fake? There's lots of shooting going on, who is doing the shooting? Colt builds all of the M4 carbines. Sole source. FN is the current contract holder for M16s. Units sometimes add identification markings. If he's at extreme range, a 7.62x39 round will not penetrate the body armor. I'm not saying this is not a staged video, just that I don't see enough evidence to draw that conclusion.

[MarineUS]

Lol at the people calling this fake. Put your tinfoil hats on.


Oh and you know why the funker360 page isn't answering you? Because that isn't THE soldier. That's a website that takes videos posted by military personnel and then uploads them. Go check out their FB page. Good lord.

Even in the video description it says "From the cameraman"


"No rounds penetrated his body armor, and he made it home with no permanent injuries. This happened in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
*READ* From the cameraman:
" I got a hit a total of 4 times. My helmet cam died and i made it down the mountain on my own. I was also hit in the side of my helmet and my eye pro was shot off of my face. We were doing overwatch on the village to recon and gather intel. I was point heading down the face of the hill with the LT. when we got hit. the rest of the squad was pinned down by machine gun fire. I didn't start the video until a few mins into the firefight for obvious reasons. I came out into the open to draw fire so my squad could get to safety."

"A round struck the tube by my hand of the 203 grenade launcher which knocked it out of my hands. When I picked the rifle back up it was still functional but the grenade launcher tube had a nice sized 7.62 cal bullet hole in it and was rendered useless. "

This footage is part of an ongoing documentation of the war in Afghanistan. Subscribe for more footage uploaded daily."


Not even worth an argument. Think it's fake? You can check out their page, ask who sent it and they'll talk to the uploader and get their permission to give you their information.

[madhogg]

Wtf   

[Gman]

To answer Widewing:  Yes units may add stuff to their receivers.  However in this case the markings are of a particular brand.  I'll let you figure that part out on your own.  And yes, as I said, it isn't Colts manufacturing or Diemaco, which is here in Canada and made units that were purchased by the US military prior to being acquired by Colts.  Also don't forget HK which has built thousands for the US Military in 4.16 and other variants.  One of my former team mates Kevin Boland also is the military sales rep and Knights Armament, and I do believe they've sold a few as well.  Again, this rifle in the video isn't from ANY of them.

 

If he's at extreme range, a 7.62x39 round will not penetrate the body armor

 Not sure what this has to do with what I've been saying proves this is fake, I realize this, and never said the armor can't stop the incoming rounds, and in fact I can attest to the fact that ParaClete armor will stop x39 rounds at any range, not just long, and it is similar to the plates the US Army uses.  My point is that the rounds aren't there period.  The impacts appear to be WAY TO small for rounds coming in at any reasonable range especially the rounds that are impacting in front of him when he's just laying on the ground yelling "I'm hit".  Look at them yourself, then take your G3 out and put some rounds into the dirt a couple or few hundred yards away, or better yet have another shooter do it and observe the impacts.   And again, where are his teamates sounding off.  If he's bothering to call out that he is moving down the hill, why is there no response from the dozens of other things he calls out to them, and not a single call out from them to him about ANYTHING, or even calls out between other team mates.  The reason why is that they aren't there, as he isn't part of a squad or platoon.   Look at 1.33 for example, that round hit is laughable if you think it came from anything large caliber.  

There's lots of shooting going on, who is doing the shooting?

 That's my point, there ISN'T ANY, at least not from enemy fire from the Taliban.  The sound as I said in the first post has been added in with some fancy desktop work.  In fact, watch the video and closely listen to the sound.  There are many spots where the incoming rounds don't match up with the sound, or there is a multi shot burst and a single fake dust impact pops up with it.  IF there is any shooting going on, it's with an accomplice from behind out of the camera viewpoint, and with a small caliber like a .22 or a dustball paintball gun.

Another thing I'd like to point out is the kit this guy is using to hold his magazines.  At 0.25 in the video you can see him swaping (poorly) his magazines with it during his terrible reload drill.  You can also see it hanging down, on a lame around the neck sling, not attached to any carrier system, at 1.54 in the video when he is flopping around trying to climb back up the hill.  Notice the fact that it is a 3 or 4 magazine welfare pouch in drab green....what did he forget his issued chest rig this particular day?  I know, the LT who he mentioned must have taken it back up the hill to the rest of the guys to give him some extra support with his ammo.  

To answer Marine:  Yes, I realize that Funker isn't the guy in the video, do you think I'm retarded or something?  Try reading what I wrote more closely.  All I said is that he hasn't responded to my email or Facebook PM regarding the questions I asked him about the video's origins.    He's answered questions of mine before on Facebook with some rapidity, and I think he's doing checking of his own after looking at the points I made and sent him, so I believe this answers your points.  I said compared to his other videos which he puts up, this one is VERY suspect. Why do you think the name of the soldier isn't mentioned anywhere around this video?  If it was you in the vid, don't you think you would chime in and have your name put up with it, or at least somebody by this point would have commented that "oh hey, that's so and so from the operation here on that day, remember when he got hit 4 times and was OK?".   Starting to see a pattern perhaps??!!  Als

Also, this guys BS testament to the video makes no sense whatsoever.  "I was moving on point WITH THE LT down the hill when we were hit?"  OK, you think maybe the LT may have had something to say to him or the ENTIRE REST OF HIS UNIT under fire perhaps?  Yet not a single thing said through the entire video?  Oh I know, the LT was down right!  Or he ran back and abandoned this hero to save the day by drawing fire!  Or maybe this guy acted on his own initiative to save his team from incoming fire, yet nobody bothered to stay in contact with him or answer his calls of distress, or call out "where is so and so"...maybe the LT forgot he was with him!  COME ON.  Oh ya, and THEN you decided to switch your camera on, after you and the LT were in contact, and you under fire....it just gets more and more unbelievable.

So you ask do I think it is fake?  No, I KNOW it is fake.  In fact, the one thing you point out to me is the quote he gives about the 203 being struck.  LOOK AT THE VIDEO.  Watch him flip the rifle away from himself on to the ground when it apparently is "hit".  There is so much BS in this video I don't know how anyone with any time in the service can even believe it.

Don't worry BTW Junky, this guy can't bring shame on to your, your unit, or YOUR ARMY because he isn't in and hasn't been in any of them.  A guy that's been shot 4 times in one engagement, including survivable hits to his body armor AND HEAD, would be something of a legend in his unit, and the luckiest SOB in the country. There is no way his identity would be hidden.

BTW Marine, it isn't TIN FOIL hat time, look back in this BBS and try and find one post I've made regarding anything tin foil hatish, I dare you.  The reason I'm outing this is that I've lost friends, including my best friend in Afghanistan, and seen many other friends lives wrecked and ruined after participating in what this guy thinks is funny to emulate for UTube fame, and it pisses me right the fck off.  Any of you who believe I'm wrong, that's fine, you can have any opinion that you want, and I'll accept your apologies as quickly as I'll offer mine if I was wrong.  In fact, if the guy in the video's ID comes out and he claims to be the one in the video with details and proof, or any of you can find it and verify it, I'll personally fly to his location, apologize for this BBS post in a Utube video with him, and offer him a job if he's out of the service anytime soon and train him how to behave properly in contact with the enemy.

[Widewing]

Reviewing the video, I see what appears to be an MRAP down on the road...

Spent rounds don't move much dust... I know, I've done a fair amount of shooting at 800 to 1,000 yards. Been hit by a spent round (ricochet) too. The mangled jacket cut through two layers of clothing, my flesh and badly bruised a rib. Hurt quite a bit.

I can't determine the maker of the M4 in use for certain, but I don't know any owner of AR type rifle who would throw their's onto rocks... I say that because you seem to be saying that the weapon was not issue...

[Selino631]

wow... retard

[MarineUS]

BTW Marine, it isn't TIN FOIL hat time, look back in this BBS and try and find one post I've made regarding anything tin foil hatish, I dare you.  

The reason I'm outing this is that I've lost friends, including my best friend in Afghanistan, and seen many other friends lives wrecked and ruined after participating in what this guy thinks is funny to emulate for UTube fame, and it pisses me right the fck off.  Any of you who believe I'm wrong, that's fine, you can have any opinion that you want, and I'll accept your apologies as quickly as I'll offer mine if I was wrong.

In fact, if the guy in the video's ID comes out and he claims to be the one in the video with details and proof, or any of you can find it and verify it, I'll personally fly to his location, apologize for this BBS post in a Utube video with him, and offer him a job if he's out of the service anytime soon and train him how to behave properly in contact with the enemy.

So, because you have NEVER said anything that involed   before means that anything you say ever will be truthful and free of paranoia?  

You're not the only person who has lost friends over there. I've been there myself and lost more than just a single friend. Anyone who has been over there and been in a firefight has lost a little of something. Just because you've had friends get killed doesn't give you the right to refuse the idea that something like this is real just because it doesn't fit YOUR idea of how it's SUPPOSED to be over there when you've never set foot in that POS place.

And that....that just makes me want to locate this guy myself.

[Gman]

I spent nearly two years there over the course of four years total BTW Marine.  And yes, I believe that past behavior is a good way to measure future behavior, which is why I challenged you to find something I've said previously that's "out there" with the tin foil hat crowd.  You don't agree with my points regarding the video, fine, but don't resort to some blanket statement without knowing me.  Sort of like your last sentence of stating it is "someplace I've never been".  I can just as easily say the same thing about you, but notice that I DON'T, as I don't assume anything about anyone without seeing their behavior or reading what they write.  As for me not having the "right" to comment on the authenticity of this video, we'll have to agree to disagree.  Using my personal experience from similar situations and careful examination of the so called soldier in the videos behavior is what led me to believe and post regarding the fact that I believe it to be fraudulent.  Simple enough, without resorting to juvenile insults, yes?  I assume Marine you were there with the Corps?  We likely know some of the same people, as both of the PMC's I've worked for have hired many Marines, and one of my good friends Sgt. Brent Clearman worked side by side with me for a year before he was killed after deciding to take a "safer" job with the CHP.  He was a Scout Sniper and also ran the Mountain warfare high angle shooting course, as well as working as an instructor at the Sniper School among other things prior to coming to work with us.  So I give you respect for your service, and gladly listen to your point of view without acting like I'm ten.  It shouldn't be unreasonable to expect the same in return.

Also, watch the vehicle in the video closely.  It's sitting still at the start of the shooting, right in the middle of the threat axis, then moves forward about ten feet, and stops again and sits motionless for the duration of the time it is viewable in the video.  Somewhat strange behavior while being under fire, no?  I know when I was behind the wheel of vehicles during contact, I used this incredible tactic called MOVEMENT to escape the enemy fire and get off of the "X" of the enemy ambush or assault.  Not rolling 10 feet at 2 mph then stopping again.  

I'll leave the investigating to the pros, and when I get the answer I'll give it.

In the meantime, if anyone wants to challenge my following points, please do so with your reasons and explanations.

1.  The lack of any other voices being heard in the video.
2.  The equipment, particularly the civilian surplus magazine carrier being slung around his neck, and the non-use of his sling at any point.  The missing An/Paq 4 laser designator.  Civilian manufacturers markings on the right hand side of the receiver.  Also, why the lack of M203 rounds being fired?  Kinda hard to get a hold of outside of a military unit in a Combat Deployment, or Training, which explains why he isn't firing any in the video.
3.  Horrible skills demonstrated, from setting down his rifle to reload it, the terrible magazine management, even worse tactical reload.
4.  The flipping of his rifle obviously out of his hands, as if faking it being impacted, the fact that he not once checked himself for wounds or felt to see where he had been hit with his hands....not once, watch his hands.


EDIT!  Gee what a shocking surprise!  Over at lightfighter (It takes time to get approval to the forums as they mainly accept only Soldiers etc.) the video has been already proven to have been made at an area in the rear of Fort Carson, by somebody goofing around, NOT in Afghanistan.   The buildings and roads matched up perfectly from pictures to the video apparently.  More to follow shortly.

[JunkyII]

I'm now in a unit which just came from the Kunar Province...they think they recognize the place. Just sayin what they said.

[Widewing]

Another Afghan vet thinks this is a staged video...

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message2001282/pg1

[Gman]

I wish I could link in some of the things being said at Lightfighter.com, but I don't want to lose my privileges there.  I always set store to the fact that the truth eventually comes out, and I believe that today (the 29th) will be the day of reckoning for whoever shopped this video is staged, fake, fraudulent...whatever anyone wants to call it.  Now that all the major networks have given it coverage, there will be hell to pay for some poor shmuck.  I only hope that it isn't a case of somebody getting a hold of a prank video and then sending it without the permission of the creator, or damage will be done to the wrong person.  Somebody made some decent money on Utube with the millions of hits/pageviews/etc, and they did it at the expense IMO of the guys who actually HAVE been in crappy situations like the video tried to emulate.  I know from a very reputable source on another bbs that one major news source is digging into this story regarding the validity and authenticity of this video.  Like I said, it'll come out, and sooner than later.

Either way, somebody should answer for it as this video has been up on the PTSD sites etc as a tool of sorts for them (don't shoot he messenger, I'm just copying what they say on the boards linked in from the original video poster Funker).   It isn't just the site you've linked in Widewing, there are TONS with guys in the service calling BS for most of the same reasons I said before this video went as wide as it has.  Huffingtonpost has some funny ones if you want some laughs.  Light fighter is THE site for soldiers and armed professionals though and it has by far the best posts from guys like Junky who have been there recently and others who are there right now.  Again, it is a shame I can't link them here, or even risk copy/paste as they have no sense of humor about such things over there.  The mods there make Skuzzy on an angry day look like a substitute teacher, believe me.  

Anyhow, I stand by all of my earlier statements, and if by some small chance this video turns out to be real, I'll apologize for being wrong and such.  As always Widewing, i appreciate your posts and they way you put arguments forward etc, a class act as always, and somebody that others, including myself perhaps at times, should try to emulate on this bbs.