How The IED Changed The U.S. Military

A member of the U.S. Army's explosive ordinance disposal unit scans the area around a burning M-ATV armored vehicle after it struck an improvised explosive device (IED) near Combat Outpost Nolen. Pic by Bob Strong, Reuters

How The IED Changed The U.S. Military -- USA Today 

Homemade bombs caused death and agony for troops and prompted changes in military equipment.

ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Three sets of eyes peer out of a massively armored U.S. truck rolling slowly down Highway 1.

From inside their reinforced cocoon — constructed layer upon layer with ways to protect the human cargo inside — three Arizona National Guard Army engineers scan highway edges. They look for signs of digging, suspicious debris or any other anomaly in the dirt that hints at a buried explosive.

The rate of Americans dying or becoming dismembered by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), for 10 years the tormentor of U.S. forces, has dropped sharply as coalition troops withdraw from the battlefield. But lives still depend on what soldiers see or don't see. It's an enduring legacy of the homemade bomb that has created more American casualties over a decade and two wars than any other weapon.

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My Comment: Thousands killed .... tens of thousands wounded ....yup .... the IED has certainly changed the U.S. military.