His base had almost nothing blocking fire. "In fact, every FOB I saw was built in the center of a bowl of mountains. You couldn't find an easier spot to attack." It did have, however, measures for spotting these attacks with varying success. A radar detected the point of origin for any incoming projectiles (projectiles such as rockets, mortars, and a great many birds). Above the base flew a blimp loaded with cameras. It surveilled the area at all times—except for when it got shot down. Or blew away in a dust storm.Â
One night, a rocket fired at a base went through two shipping containers and ended up in the barracks, where it hit a soldier in the arm. But it was a dud, so while it did tear his bicep from his bone, it didn't blow up and annihilate him. "When people ask if I've ever met special forces guys and want to know how badass they are," says Tyler, "I tell them, 'I know a guy who stopped a rocket with his bicep'."
If the rocket's not a dud though, a direct hit is a done deal. A steel wall won't stop it, though it'll at least block some shrapnel. A foxhole would be safer, and the only way to make their sleeping quarters really safe would be to dig a hole and bury the whole container. "But the crazy part about this whole thing," says Tyler, "is that after about two months, nobody gets all that worked up about it anymore. We'd groan about being forced to put on body armor and get into bunkers. Most people stopped getting out of bed to take cover, saying, 'If I'm gonna die, I want to be in my bed when I do.'"
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