Friday, June 7, 2013

Former Drone Operator Discusses His Role In Military Operations That Killed 1,600 Over Five Years


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Former Drone Operator Says He's Haunted By His Part In More Than 1,600 Deaths -- NBC 

A former Air Force drone operator who says he participated in missions that killed more than 1,600 people remembers watching one of the first victims bleed to death.

Brandon Bryant says he was sitting in a chair at a Nevada Air Force base operating the camera when his team fired two missiles from their drone at three men walking down a road halfway around the world in Afghanistan.

The missiles hit all three targets, and Bryant says he could see the aftermath on his computer screen – including thermal images of a growing puddle of hot blood.

 “The guy that was running forward, he’s missing his right leg,” he recalled. “And I watch this guy bleed out and, I mean, the blood is hot.” As the man died his body grew cold, said Bryant, and his thermal image changed until he became the same color as the ground.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: 'I watch him bleed out:' Drone operator who helped kill 1,626 targets reveals trauma of watching them die on a computer screen -- Daily Mail  
Update #2: Drone operator says he ‘lost respect for life’ on missions killing 1,600 people (Photos) -- Examiner  
Update #3: Drone Operator: The Recruiter Used A 'James Bond' Reference In His Pitch -- Business Insider    
My Comment: To put it all into perspective .... legendary SEAL sniper Chris Kyle killed upwards of 160 insurgents with his rifle. Drone Operator Brandon Bryant, on the other hand, was involved in the "targeted killing" of at least 1626 people. This is an astounding number .... and makes me wonder how he was able to do it for so long.

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