soldiers bit by snakes in afghanistan

Christensen's most exciting discoveries have been the world's most dangerous scorpion, the death stalker, and one of Asia's deadliest snakes, the saw scaled viper. - or even a quick meal. "Has he found the snake yet?" A U.S. soldier passes a dead snake in Afghanistan's Kunar province. Among 126 animal bites and exposures, 10 were monkey bites. Unlike most soldiers on their first deployment, he was just as fired up about the wildlife in the Afghan countryside as he was about potentially battling Taliban insurgents. It is teeming with a wealth of snakes, scorpions, spiders and other wildlife. Aaron Christensen pokes at a camel spider crawling on the ground in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. Most soldiers imagine a heroic death protecting their country and would never think of being taken down by a snake. Chris Stoughton, a 28-year-old machine gunner with the platoon currently based at Strong Point Ghundy Ghar in Zhari district. Jason Purdy, took up a dare from his buddy to eat a large camel spider after slicing off its jaws with a knife. There used to be a "joke" about the snakes in the Asian/Pacific theater; There are at least a hundred kind of snakes that can kill you in this area, about 95 of them bite you and leave you to die, the other 5 species can simply squash the life out of you and swallow you whole. In a surprising—and irony-rich—byproduct of the Afghan war, the Pentagon finds itself dependent on a scientific research arm of the Iranian government to treat bites by Oxus cobras, Haly's pit vipers and other snakes peculiar to the battlefields of southwest Asia. ’I used to warn him about how trusting he was’: Friends mourn man hacked to death with machete during Bronx Grindr date, ’I don’t care Trump doesn’t like black people:’ rapper 50 Cent makes presidential endorsement over taxes, Teen arrested after teacher sees him having oral sex with 7-year-old girl during break in online class, ‘All I do is cry’: Grandparents mourn murdered 22-year-old in Brooklyn rap scene, CNN's Jeffrey Toobin made 'shockingly sexual' proposition to well-known media figure, she claims, Baby drama! If any of the 13 species of venomous snakes found in Afghanistan bites a soldier who can’t identify the snake, then they are given the Razi antivenin.But although lives depend on the Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute, US military purchases from the Iranian establishment may be in violation of sanction rules. While the platoon has mostly avoided getting into firefights with Taliban militants who operate out of mud compounds around Ghundy Ghar, they have staged pitched battles of their own between captured scorpions and camel spiders, which can grow to nearly 3 inches long. (AFP Photo / Ted Aljibe), Cyberwar speeds up: US blames Iran for renewed attacks on American banks, Stuxnet goes out of control: Chevron infected by anti-Iranian virus, others could be next, Pentagon strips collateral damage safeguards from cyberwar weapons, Double agents: Pentagon grows CIA twin out of own spy pool, US boosts number of spy drone flights over Iran. DESERT HORNED VIPER Cerastes cerastes gasperetti. LEVENTINE VIPER Macrovipera lebetina obtusa Macrovipera lebetina … "The camel spider ran in circles around the scorpion freaking out and then the scorpion grabbed him, stung him and started eating him," said Pfc. Other than patrolling for a few hours a day, there is little for troops to do except watch movies or lift weights at a makeshift gym. Tracking down the "creepy crawlies" that lurk in the nooks and crannies of the countryside is a favorite pastime, providing education, some entertainment - arachnid fight night!
Here's Why, WSJ Opinion: The Myth of the Moderate Democrat, Beirut Explosion: WSJ Reporter Relives the Moment in His Shattered Home, News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. "I was like a kid in a candy store last night," said Christensen, recalling his efforts to extract the saw scaled viper from its mud den as the platoon's mortar squad fired illumination rounds in the background. Aaron Christensen, a self-described reptile nut who grew up exploring the woods and coastlines of Oregon, leads the charge at night. SOLDIER-SNAKE ENCOUNTERS TIMING OF INITIAL PHASE NIGHTFIGHTING FORCE SLEEPING “UNDER THE STARS” GROUND OPERATIONS GARRISON DUTIES. "Deployments are always 99 percent extreme boredom and one percent sheer terror," said Spc. James Wilkes, the platoon's 23-year-old radio operator.

Bites from Macaca mulatta monkeys, native to Afghanistan, can cause serious infections. All rights reserved. The soldiers are all part of 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment. He even has two of his pet snakes tattooed on his left biceps. Command emphasis is vital for preventing monkey bites; provider training and bite reporting promote postexposure treatment. The snake bit Grant in the arms multiple times and then slithered out of the car. Keeps you alert! An Iranian state research arm provides antivenin for snake bites in the country. GHUNDY GHAR, Afghanistan - As night falls on this small hilltop base in the heart of Taliban country in southern Afghanistan, U.S. Army soldiers break out their knives and flashlights and go hunting for some of the country's deadliest inhabitants: snakes and scorpions. Similar in size and temperament and just as common in these parts is Russell's Viper, one of the most dangerous in the world due to the number of bites it inflicts. Despite crippling US sanctions imposed on Iran, the Pentagon has purchased 115 $310 vials of antivenin from the Islamic Republic to treat Americans who were bitten by deadly snakes in Afghanistan. VENOMOUS SNAKES of IRAQ and KUWAIT Tom Harkins Entomological Sciences Program USACHPPM APG, MD 21010. "I knew we had our job to do, but I was thinking in the back of my mind that I hope to see some of the cool things I have only seen in pictures or at exotic reptile shows," said Christensen, who has owned cobras, rattlesnakes, lizards and a small alligator as pets. The expeditions help break the monotony of 10-day rotations the soldiers do once or twice a month at this rugged outpost in Kandahar province. This website uses cookies. Recruits are put through various tests, including wilderness survival. How did it taste? As night falls on this small hilltop base in the heart of Taliban country in southern Afghanistan, U.S. Army soldiers break out their knives and flashlights and go … Drew Cross, the platoon's 24-year-old medic. Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you, A US soldier from Viper Company 1-26 (Bravo) Infantry searches for arms and ammunitions on an alley while a villager looks on at a village at Combat Outpost (COP) Sabari in Khost province in the east of Afghanistan. These snakes have beautiful golden amber eyes, especially evident in the photo on the right. They are based at a slightly larger outpost in neighboring Maiwand district when not doing rotations at Ghundy Ghar. One of the non-venemous species.

To determine risk for US military members in Afghanistan, we reviewed records for September–December 2011.
"I found a black widow spider, and the body alone was the size of my fingernail," said Sgt. Twenty-year-old Norman Murburg was training to join the Special Forces at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Get a 20% American Eagle coupon with your new AEO Connected credit card, Get 25% Macy's coupons with email and text sign up, Download the mobile App for free Nordstrom coupons, Extra 30% off when you buy girls' camo print in Forever 21 app, Wuhan, Former Pandemic Center, Emerges as Tourist Hot Spot, WSJ Opinion: Biden to Trump: ‘Will You Shut Up, Man?’, The Stock Market Is Ignoring the Economy. CNN star Jeffrey Toobin offered Casey Greenfield money for abortion: sources, Writer Jeffrey Toobin suspended from New Yorker after exposing himself during Zoom call: report, ‘That ’70s Show’ star Danny Masterson fails to get 3 rape charges tossed, new arraignment set, GM Joe Douglas must come out of hiding, denounce Adam Gase and accept responsibility for Jets mess, Woman, 19, killed, two men wounded in Bronx club shooting, Exxon claps back at Trump for comments on raising money from billionaires with a phone call: ‘It never happened’, One-fourth of NYC transit workers caught COVID-19: study, Howard Stern doesn’t want to hear from 'stupid’ friends who support Trump, Boy, 13, dies in fall from his Midtown building, NYC students in homeless shelters still can’t get on the internet even after city switches cellular providers: advocates, Two found dead in ‘gruesome crime scene,’ Florida police say, CNN legal eagle Jeffrey Toobin in baby mama drama - with daughter of CBS News' Jeff Greenfield, Danish killer who decapitated, dismembered journalist escapes prison, recaptured, Cardi B deletes her Twitter account over criticism from ‘out of control’ fans, Manhattan subway groper who body shamed victim arrested: cops.

Read RT Privacy policy to find out more. Such purchases legally require a waiver from the US Treasury Department. Staff Sgt. CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan—Relations between Iran and the U.S. are poisonous, with one exception: an antidote for snake bites. Perhaps with the scorpion in mind, one of the soldiers in the platoon, Spc. "It was pretty cool and keeps our battle skills sharp," he joked. © Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “TV-Novosti”, 2005–2020. one of the mortar operators, Cpl. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. The 30-year-old native of Portland, Oregon, has not been disappointed with what he and his fellow soldiers have found around the 200-foot rock and mud hill where their base is located. Steve Gurak, asked as soon as he was done firing.

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