Net video shows Iraq sniper attack
Scott Ard Former Editor in Chief, CNET
CNET former Editor in Chief Scott Ard has been a journalist for more than 20 years and an early tech adopter for even longer. Those two passions led him to editing one of the first tech sections for a daily newspaper in the mid 1990s, and to joining CNET part-time in 1996 and full-time a few years later.
The Web site for the Army Times has posted a a short story about a U.S. soldier in Iraq who was hit by a sniper but survived to help track down the shooter. And there's a chilling video of the initial assault.
According to a press release about the incident issued by the 256th Brigade Combat Team, a medic named Stephen Tschiderer was on routine patrol in Baghdad in June when a sniper in a van lined with noise-absorbing mattresses fired a single shot that knocked Tschiderer to the ground. Saved by his body armor, Tschiderer can be seen in the video springing back up and scrambling to safety behind his Humvee. In the background, his assailants can be heard muttering "Allahu Akbar."
The video then ends, but according to the Army's official account, one Army team was able to track down and capture the driver of the van, while Tschiderer and another unit followed a trail of blood that led to the injured shooter. "As Tschiderer secured the terrorist with a pair of handcuffs, he gave medical aid to the wounded terrorist--the same one who'd tried to take his life."