[Mithras]

Whoa. They swear it was an accident, but WTF:
story:

...Yesterday, what had seemed a minor item in a police blotter touched off state and federal military investigations after it was disclosed that an F-16 warplane had strafed the school with cannon fire.

The Air National Guard warplane, flying a night training mission out of Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, fired a burst of 27 rounds from its 20-millimeter cannon shortly before 10:15 p.m. as it streaked over Little Egg Harbor Township, 20 miles north of Atlantic City, New Jersey military officials said last night.

...At least eight of the bullets - non-explosive lead slugs more than 2 inches long - crashed through the roof of Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School, three miles south of the target range. No one was hurt, and the damage was minor.

It was unclear whether any other structures were hit. Five slugs were found in the school parking lot, and 14 others apparently came down harmlessly in the neighborhood.

[t6hawk]

Ah the wonders of modern technology.

[mitchell_pgh]

Yah, not funny... I'm sure someone is in the hot seat over this one...

[t6hawk]

The American fighter pilots are never in the hot seat. Lukewarm one maybe. For example, look at the pathetic punishments given to the 2 US pilots that bombed the Canadian troops in Afghanistan. They should have been locked up but they weren't.

[olePigeon]

Originally posted by t6hawk:
The American fighter pilots are never in the hot seat. Lukewarm one maybe. For example, look at the pathetic punishments given to the 2 US pilots that bombed the Canadian troops in Afghanistan. They should have been locked up but they weren't.

Unless it's a woman.

[Mister Elf]

The pilots that bombed the Canadian troops were not "locked up" because the incident was found to be a result of command and conrtol errors: AKA, the Canadians forgot to tell the other members of the ground and air forces where they were until it was too late to get the information out to everyone.

[MilkmanDan]

Jersey girls arn't trash. Trash gets picked up.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by t6hawk:
The American fighter pilots are never in the hot seat. Lukewarm one maybe. For example, look at the pathetic punishments given to the 2 US pilots that bombed the Canadian troops in Afghanistan. They should have been locked up but they weren't.

If Canadians had bombed Americans by accident we would probably be at war by now as we would be labeled as terrorists.

[hayesk]

Originally posted by Mister Elf:
The pilots that bombed the Canadian troops were not "locked up" because the incident was found to be a result of command and conrtol errors: AKA, the Canadians forgot to tell the other members of the ground and air forces where they were until it was too late to get the information out to everyone.

Source?

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by Mister Elf:
The pilots that bombed the Canadian troops were not "locked up" because the incident was found to be a result of command and conrtol errors: AKA, the Canadians forgot to tell the other members of the ground and air forces where they were until it was too late to get the information out to everyone.

From your own US news source:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/07/06/pi...ire/index.html

"An Air Force pilot involved in a "friendly fire" bombing that killed four Canadian troops in Afghanistan was found guilty Tuesday of dereliction of duty, reprimanded and ordered to forfeit more than $5,000 in pay.

The letter of reprimand said Schmidt "flagrantly disregarded a direct order from the controlling agency, exercised a total lack of basic flight discipline over [his] aircraft, and blatantly ignored the applicable rules of engagement and special instructions."

"You acted shamefully ... exhibiting arrogance and a lack of flight discipline," it said.

"When your flight leader warned you to 'make sure it's not friendlies' and the Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft controller directed you to 'stand by' and later to 'hold fire,' you should have marked the location with your targeting pod.

"Thereafter, if you believed, as you stated, you and your leader were threatened, you should have taken a series of evasive actions and remained at a safe distance to await further instructions from AWACS.

"Instead, you closed on the target and blatantly disobeyed the direction to 'hold fire.' Your failure to follow that order is inexcusable."

[CD Hanks]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
If Canadians had bombed Americans by accident we would probably be at war by now as we would be labeled as terrorists.

You just keep telling yourself that.

Had it been the otherway around, there would have been a ton of hoopla for about 5 days, and then it promptly would have been buried.

Said hypothetical Canadian pilot would have probably gotten the same treatment as the actual American pilot.

[PacHead]

Maybe the Canadians were speaking french and we confused them with the enemy. Sounds like a plausible scenario.

[CD Hanks]

Originally posted by PacHead:
Maybe the Canadians were speaking french and we confused them with the enemy. Sounds like a plausible scenario.

As funny as that is, I'm grimacing at the thought of the replies that will generate.

[Beewee]

Originally posted by PacHead:
Maybe the Canadians were speaking french and we confused them with the enemy. Sounds like a plausible scenario.

More political incorrectness?

Politically incorrect people of the world:

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by PacHead:
Maybe the Canadians were speaking french and we confused them with the enemy. Sounds like a plausible scenario.

The US is at war with the french now also?

[UR-20]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
The US is at war with the french now also?

I think Pachead may be on a one man crusade.
Though if we were, I'm sure he'd cheer how much "we're kicking their frenchy butts" from the comfort of his lazy boy.


cough..*racist*..cough..

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by UR-20:
I think Pachead may be on a one man crusade.
Though if we were, I'm sure he'd cheer how much "we're kicking their frenchy butts" from the comfort of his lazy boy.


cough..*racist*..cough..

Ya, freedom fries all the way.

[TheBadgerHunter]

Originally posted by PacHead:
Maybe the Canadians were speaking french and we confused them with the enemy. Sounds like a plausible scenario.

So I guess the American that told the pilot to hold fire was also french.

Canadians don't speak french outside out quebec and even there most of them are bilingual.

[TheBadgerHunter]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
The US is at war with the french now also?

No but if you "accidentally" drop a bomb on a "frenchie" they'll look the other way.

[t6hawk]

Originally posted by PacHead:
Maybe the Canadians were speaking french and we confused them with the enemy. Sounds like a plausible scenario.

They were not french. They were stationed at CFB Edmonton which is about 3000 miles west of Quebec.

That and the US military knew they were there but like the CIA and FBI for 9/11 there was a communications breakdown and one group (US mil) didn't give the other group (trigger happy bomber pilot) the info even though there were no hostile forces in the entire region.

[Mister Elf]

Which is why the pilot got off with a dereliction charge instead of negligent homicide due to criminal negligence or another fun charge like that...IM, Man1, Murder2, etc.