'It's Gonna Be a Long Year'

摘要

On an ink-black night in Bosnia last week, Sgt. Thomas E. Tomlin got the all-clear word. He was to pass through a field mined by Serbs and Muslims and link up with A Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Cavalry Regiment (3/5th Cav). "Kick it in gear," he told the driver of his M-60 engineer tank. Pulling behind another tank, they hadn't gone far when loader Pfc. Bradley J. Smith, standing in his open hatch, saw "a great flash from the left rear of the tank and heard a loud boom." Smith, hurled against the turret ring and instantly covered with dirt and explosive powder, knew they'd run over a mine. "It was pretty impressive," he said. "We had 30 rounds of highly flammable ammo in the turret," added the tank gunner, Spec. Alex Toirkens. "I was worried about it cooking off."