[Warrior5]

I'm on my tank; my unit is blazing away at Iraqi vehicles and calling in artillery. One of my platoons spots a ZSU-23/4 (a tracked anti-aircraft system) behind a hill and way beyond direct fire range, so I tell my Fire Support Officer to try a Copperhead shot. Copperhead is a 155mm artillery round that homes in on a laser designator. The Fire Support vehicle lases the target, tells the artillery unit to fire, the Copperhead round steers toward the laser spot, and no more ZSU-23/4.

Anyway, there's a whole lot of dust and smoke building up in the engagement area by the time the FSO calls the mission. He calls "Shot, over" to indicate the Copperhead round was fired by the artillery unit ~10km away. About 20 seconds later, he calls "Splash, over" to indicate the round is going to hit in a few seconds. My gunner and I are watching the ZSU through our sights, but no impact. I ask the FSO over the radio for a status on the mission, and he thinks that because of all the dust and smoke, the Copperhead might not be able to "see" the laser signature, and that the round had probably gone ballistic.

Quickly realizing that my tank was pretty much sitting on a direct line between the artillery unit and the target, I look at my loader the same time he looks at me, we simultaneously say, "OH $%^!", and jump down inside the tank. At the same time we got our hatches shut, we feel a big explosion nearby and hear sand falling on top of the tank.

We pop the hatches and look around to see a smoldering hole about 100 meters behind our tank.

Not funny at all, but a true "OH $%^!" moment.