Gun cam video missing footage

Remember that helicopter gun cam video from Iraq that has been causing so much controversy? It appears that 20 to 30 minutes were cut from the middle of the video, footage that might have shed a different light on the actions of the helicopter crews:

What happened during that missing half-hour? The Jawa Report cites the sworn statements of the pilots involved in the attack. One pilot said in his statement that between the attack on the journalists and the second attack, two events occurred which may have softened the picture of the pilots provided by the video: 1) The pilots went to assist soldiers under attack, but saw a child and other "noncombatants" and held their fire. 2) The pilots saw a red SUV that may have contained insurgents, but held their fire because they couldn't get a positive identification. Here is the relevant part of the statement.

The 'Full Version' of The Wikileaks Video Is Missing 30 Minutes of Footage - wikileaks - Gawker

Collateral murder

Here's the controversial video footage from an American Apache helicopter gun camera that shows an assault on a group of people (including to Reuters reporters) in Baghdad in July 2007. The footage also documents the radio transmissions between the different groups of soldiers involved.

The crews first gun down a group that has assembled in a street, seemingly mistaking the camera of one of the journalists for a weapon. Then, when a van pulls up to rescue one of the wounded, this vehicle is also taken out. It's a rather eerie insight into the Iraq war, simultaneously showing you the harsh reality of an ambush and the matter-of-factly conversations of the soldiers.

YouTube - Wikileaks leaked video of Civilians killed in Baghdad - Full video

EOD bomb-proof suit

Very interesting piece on how the bomb-proof EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) suits as seen in the Oscar-winning movie The Hurt Locker work. These suits are made from hi-tech materials to ensure their wearer survives the initial shockwave blast from an explosion.

Real-life Hurt Locker: how bomb-proof suits work | DVICE

Diaries of a shooter

These are some great black-and-white photos shot by documentary photographer Zoriah around the world, but many in Iraq and Gaza.

Diaries of a Shooter: Stories

Hurt locker

The Hurt Locker is Kathryn Bigelow's (Strange Days, Blue Steel) latest film. It takes place in Iraq shortly after the invasion in 2004 and depicts the events a bomb-disposal unit encounters. Exceedingly well done film!

YouTube - "The Hurt Locker" - Official Trailer [HQ]

Signs that you are in Iraq

1. You run in terror from a controlled detonation your first week, then stand in the open to watch real mortars landing, a month later.

2. The most intimate contact you’ve had in months is with the shower curtain.

3. Your most successful pick-up line is “I’ve got a vehicle”.

4. All the Air Force people look like glow-in-the-dark Power Rangers and you can’t see the Army Folks.

5. Your 6:00 am wake-up call is “BOOM” Alarm Red, Alarm Red, Alarm Red”.

The complete list has 38 entries.

Blog Them Out of the Stone Age » Signs That You’re in Iraq

Full Battle Rattle

Full Battle Rattle is a 2007 documentary about the National Training Center in the California Mohave Desert which was built to prepare soldiers for the realities in Iraq. It's a full-grown town with 1600 "roleplayers", 250 of them Iraqi-speaking American citizens. The documentary had its premiere on the National Geographic Channel on Monday, January 12th.

Blog Them Out of the Stone Age » Full Battle Rattle (2007)

Scenes from Iraq

A U.S. soldier from the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment secures a roof near the site of a suicide bomb attack in central Baquba, Diyala province August 11, 2008. A female suicide bomber wearing a belt packed with explosives killed a policeman and wounded 17 people when she targeted a police station, police said. (REUTERS/Andrea Comas)

Scenes from Iraq - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Generation Kill: Sgt. Brad "Iceman" Colbert