Ice in his veins

Further to this post we did highlighting PO2 Leith's gutsy dismantling of an IED after his vehicle had already been hit moments earlier, the Toronto Star has followed up with an interview that you really should read.

Here's my favourite part:

When the medical threat was dealt with and a follow-up enemy attack never materialized, Leith went to work on a post-blast investigation that revealed something even more serious than the ordeal his crew had just faced.

"I discovered an area of disturbed ground and I started to investigate it, I started to excavate a little bit. I knew right away when I started to uncover it that it appeared to be a large explosive," he said.

They say that bomb disposal experts are a different breed, and Leith proved that on this morning in Kandahar's Zhari district. After setting up a security cordon and pushing everyone else back a safe distance, he approached, positioning himself right over top of the double mine.

"I really had nothing left except your old standards: my wits, skills and my good old trusty bayonet that the engineers had given me," he said. "My remote means had been destroyed in my vehicle."

The hole in the ground was filled with two anti-tank mines and about 45 kilograms of explosives. The bombmaker had run a detonation cord from the mines to a large, highly flammable napalm mixture about half a metre away. To the side of the napalm was a pressure plate that would activate the deadly, though unsophisticated device.

"I was kind of laughing," he said. "I was like, `If this goes up ... I won't feel anything it'll be so quick.'"

Absolutely outstanding. But he missed one thing left to him besides the other "old standards" he listed: serious balls.