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A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission Before Leave
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chainpin
Nov 3, 09 11:36
Post #1 of 47 (985 views)
A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission Before Leave
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I wonder how many lives this guy saved over the years.
RIP Olaf Schmid
Bomb Disposal Hero Killed in Afghanistan Just Days Before Leave
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Michael Yon
Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid in combat in Afghanistan.
A British Army explosives specialist who became a legend by risking his life to defuse more than 60 Taliban roadside bombs was killed in Afghanistan during his final mission before he took leave, the Times of London reported Tuesday.
Staff Sergeant Olaf "Oz" Schmid, 30, died instantly Saturday when an improvised explosives device he was trying to disarm blew up.
It was his last job before a planned two-week break, his widow Christina Schmid told the newspaper.
“Oz was a phenomenal husband and loving father who was cruelly murdered on his last day before two weeks off after a relentless five-month tour," she said.
Click here for more from Michael Yon's Dispatches.
The bomb disposal expert's exploits were described as "legendary." He defused one in every 19 IEDs found by British troops since his tour in Afghanistan began last June, senior officers told the Daily Mail.
In one 24-hour operation, military officials said Schmid found and disarmed 31 roadside bombs. He deployed to Afghanistan in June, and had since then rendered 64 IEDs safe.
Shortly before his death, he had been promoted to the position of "high-threat operator" and was described by the British Ministry of Defense as having a "natural aptitude" for bomb disposal work.
Another veteran bomb specialist, Capt. Daniel Shepard, was killed in Afghanistan's Helmand Province in July, according to the Times of London.
In addition to his wife, Schmid leaves behind a 5-year-old stepson Laird, the paper reported.
“He was my best friend and soulmate," the grieving widow told the Times of London. "The pain of losing him is overwhelming. I take comfort knowing he saved countless lives with his hard work. I am so proud of him.”
Lt.-Col. Robert Thomson, the commanding officer overseeing the 2 Rifles Battle Group Schmid served with, said his bravery put him above the "best of the best."
“Under relentless IED and small arms attacks he stood taller than the tallest. I adored working with him," Thomson told the Times of London. "No matter how difficult or lethal the task which lay in front of us, he was the man who only saw solutions.”
"I really wish you would post more often. You always have some good stuff to say. I copied it below just in case someone missed it." BarryP to Chainpin on 10/21/06
(This post was
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Gator1736
Nov 3, 09 11:48
Post #2 of 47 (951 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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Some guys just have bigger balls than others. God bless him. It's a shame and a tragedy.
efernand
Nov 3, 09 12:14
Post #3 of 47 (910 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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Damn shame.
.
fitzie
Nov 3, 09 12:24
Post #4 of 47 (894 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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Very sad - he is a true hero.
TwinDad
Nov 3, 09 12:34
Post #5 of 47 (873 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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<moment of silence> . . . </moment of silence>
--------------------
Yes, I too now have a
Blog
. Don't laugh.
Rodred
Nov 3, 09 12:50
Post #6 of 47 (847 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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RIP Warrior
snoots
Nov 3, 09 12:50
Post #7 of 47 (846 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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Very sad. R.I.P.
Ignorant question, please: If they've found the IED, and it's just a rudimentary device with a limited blast radius, why can't they just stand back and lob a grenade or a shell at it or something and let it explode? Why do they have to risk their lives to disarm them?
Super Fly TNT
Nov 3, 09 13:08
Post #8 of 47 (831 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [snoots]
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It might be too close to a bridge or people's houses. Sometimes surgical techniques are the best way.
BarryP
Nov 3, 09 13:13
Post #9 of 47 (822 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [snoots]
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I don't know the full answer to that. However:
IEDs are nothing more than tank rounds, but have been implimented with some sort of electronic detonating device. They basicaaly explode when hitting an object really hard and fast, or by having the detonator activated.
So they are basically given the choice between detonating it themselves, or disarming them. Throwing a grenade at it won't accomplish anything. Dropping a bomb on it would, but that's not usually such a good idea (it being a bomb going boom and all).
You *could* transport it to a safe area, but then still have to worry about it being detonated while in transit.
So your choices are to blow it up with a detonator, or to disarm it. If its out in the desert, they will detonate it if they can. If it's in a populated area, that's not very safe.
FYI, even though the blast radius is limited, the fragments can still fly pretty far. The primary fragmentation probably only flies 50 feet or so, but you could get some fragments that fly much, much further.
.....also, if we are talking about a 30lb mine......much worse. I've seen pieces of vehicles fly well over 100 yards.
-----------------------------Barry Pollock (aka Baron Von Speedypants)
I'M DYSLEXIC......GET OVER IT!
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485
trail
Nov 3, 09 13:59
Post #10 of 47 (782 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [snoots]
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Very sad. R.I.P.
Ignorant question, please: If they've found the IED, and it's just a rudimentary device with a limited blast radius, why can't they just stand back and lob a grenade or a shell at it or something and let it explode? Why do they have to risk their lives to disarm them?
Good question. There are two competing schools of thought on that. At least in the U.S. military. The combat engineers will generally just place a charge and blow stuff up.
EOD techs, on the other hand, are much more likely to try to defuse an IED. The purpose is forensic. Once disarmed, they can lift fingerprints and DNA, and examine components and methods of construction. These can be used to compare to databases of suspected IED-makers, trace parts to their origin, or just conclude that a new IED-factory with some signature technique has started operating in some area.
Combat engineers think the EOD techs are stupid, and EOD techs think engineers are stupid.
Rodred
Nov 3, 09 16:03
Post #11 of 47 (722 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [BarryP]
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In Reply To:
I don't know the full answer to that. However:
IEDs are nothing more than tank rounds, but have been implimented with some sort of electronic detonating device. They basicaaly explode when hitting an object really hard and fast, or by having the detonator activated.
So they are basically given the choice between detonating it themselves, or disarming them. Throwing a grenade at it won't accomplish anything. Dropping a bomb on it would, but that's not usually such a good idea (it being a bomb going boom and all).
You *could* transport it to a safe area, but then still have to worry about it being detonated while in transit.
So your choices are to blow it up with a detonator, or to disarm it. If its out in the desert, they will detonate it if they can. If it's in a populated area, that's not very safe.
FYI, even though the blast radius is limited, the fragments can still fly pretty far. The primary fragmentation probably only flies 50 feet or so, but you could get some fragments that fly much, much further.
.....also, if we are talking about a 30lb mine......much worse. I've seen pieces of vehicles fly well over 100 yards.
One has to wonder, given his experience, if he was set up by an "innocent" looking IED that was booby trapped. Thats what I would do if I were a bad guy.
For the record EOD guys are a rare breed.
WhisperingDeath
Nov 3, 09 17:07
Post #12 of 47 (674 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [Gator1736]
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Amen to that! Read the email at work today, a true warrior indeed. RIP.
aka sniperteamone
fitzie
Nov 3, 09 17:46
Post #13 of 47 (646 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [BarryP]
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So they are basically given the choice between detonating it themselves, or disarming them. Throwing a grenade at it won't accomplish anything. Dropping a bomb on it would, but that's not usually such a good idea (it being a bomb going boom and all).
We should be dropping more bombs on the IED planting bastards. Yeah, bombs go boom. Let's hope they are detonated before they kill more US and NATO troops.
This video is from this summer in Afghanistan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pzXmcdMJUk
Mr. Tibbs
Nov 3, 09 17:50
Post #14 of 47 (641 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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Only the good die young. Double shame.
Mr. Tibbs will justify your sins.
Rodred
Nov 3, 09 20:53
Post #15 of 47 (563 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [fitzie]
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In Reply To:
So they are basically given the choice between detonating it themselves, or disarming them. Throwing a grenade at it won't accomplish anything. Dropping a bomb on it would, but that's not usually such a good idea (it being a bomb going boom and all).
We should be dropping more bombs on the IED planting bastards. Yeah, bombs go boom. Let's hope they are detonated before they kill more US and NATO troops.
This video is from this summer in Afghanistan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pzXmcdMJUk
If I can find it there was an interesting "take" by a Vietnam era SEAL on his trip to Iraq (while writing a book about SF)that covered his opinions on this exact issue. Not bombs but how frustrating it is for the troops and how their hands are tied as it comes to just shooting these people when they catch them planting IEDs.
R10C
Nov 3, 09 23:00
Post #16 of 47 (536 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [Mr. Tibbs]
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Only the good die young. Double shame.
Heh....if only we all could die with such honor.
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f.k.a - Record9, Record9ti Record10, Record10ti, Record10Carbon, but not SuperRecord11 as there are no bar ends.
BarryP
Nov 4, 09 8:16
Post #17 of 47 (420 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [fitzie]
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Quote:
We should be dropping more bombs on the IED planting bastards. Yeah, bombs go boom. Let's hope they are detonated before they kill more US and NATO troops.
This video is from this summer in Afghanistan.
I agree, but its easier said than done. They aren't exactly marking their secret hide outs with neon signs.
-----------------------------Barry Pollock (aka Baron Von Speedypants)
I'M DYSLEXIC......GET OVER IT!
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485
saltman
Nov 4, 09 10:02
Post #18 of 47 (382 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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I don't mean to be insensitive, this guy had balls of steel and is a hero without question. I can't help but think though, he was always going to be killed on his "last" mission. It saddens me that he leaves a family behind. There needs to be a military mandate on how long these guys can do this function. At some point the odds will catch up and it simply becomes a suicide mission.
chainpin
Nov 4, 09 10:11
Post #19 of 47 (373 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [saltman]
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I don't mean to be insensitive, this guy had balls of steel and is a hero without question. I can't help but think though, he was always going to be killed on his "last" mission. It saddens me that he leaves a family behind. There needs to be a military mandate on how long these guys can do this function. At some point the odds will catch up and it simply becomes a suicide mission.
It was his last mission for that deployment.
The odds of something bad happening are independent of the last mission so I don't follow what you are saying.
"I really wish you would post more often. You always have some good stuff to say. I copied it below just in case someone missed it." BarryP to Chainpin on 10/21/06
saltman
Nov 4, 09 10:23
Post #20 of 47 (365 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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I don't follow what you are saying.
I am not surprised. I think I was pretty clear.
Rodred
Nov 4, 09 11:44
Post #21 of 47 (325 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [saltman]
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I don't follow what you are saying.
I am not surprised. I think I was pretty clear.
And pretty far off base. Reread the story. As you were told it was his last before heading home for a bit.
And no it doesnt eventually become a suicide mission as each one is seperate from the other. You have the same amount oof risk on mission one as mission 101
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cerveloguy
Nov 4, 09 11:51
Post #22 of 47 (318 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [chainpin]
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There are certain jobs that must be considered "high risk, even by military standards. Guess somebody has to do it though. He had been successful over sixty times previously. It's very sad and condolences to his family.
saltman
Nov 4, 09 12:56
Post #23 of 47 (301 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [Rodred]
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I read the story, I am not the one that inappropriately titled the thread "A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission".
Please tell you have a basic understanding of probability.
Rodred
Nov 4, 09 13:05
Post #24 of 47 (296 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [saltman]
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I read the story, I am not the one that inappropriately titled the thread "A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission".
Please tell you have a basic understanding of probability.
No sense in arguing as its obvious you dont. I think I might have played poker against you a few times.
saltman
Nov 4, 09 13:19
Post #25 of 47 (286 views)
Re: A Legend is Killed on His Last Mission [Rodred]
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No need to argue, just answer this question, hypothetically.
Lets say there is a 5% chance of detonation EACH time. Are you telling me that you would put money on him successfully retiring 100 IEDs without detonation?
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