CAMP INCHON, Kuwait (Reuters) - U.S. Marines going into battle in Iraq will have state-of-the-art equipment to warn them of chemical or biological attack -- but their first hint of danger may well come from a pigeon.
The distribution of dozens of the birds to Marine regiments in the Kuwaiti desert on Friday raised some laughter but also underlined how seriously the U.S. military is taking the threat of gas attack should it invade Iraq.
"They're an extra sensor," said Staff Sergeant Dan Wallace, who is responsible for all precautions against nuclear, chemical and biological attack in his regiment.
Pigeons are more sensitive to nerve and chemical agents than humans. Just as canaries once warned miners of the threat of explosive gas, the U.S. military thinks pigeons may once again prove to be the difference between life and death.
"I got sensors that cost $12,000 (7,537 pounds) and birds that cost $60 each and I place just as much trust in the bird as the sensor. Anything mechanical can fail or give us wrong readings."
Each bird came with a cage and a supply of bird seed.
The marines admitted they had little idea how to care for the birds, but said they would be learning fast. "We were supposed to get chickens but they died before they got here," Wallace said.
It was not clear if U.S. army or British forces would also get pigeons, which have a long history of helping man in war.
In Greek and Roman times, pigeons brought news of victory and defeat from the battle front. In World Wars One and Two, they carried messages across enemy lines.
Some were even awarded medals for their exploits.
Want to learn more?
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...10&u=/nm/20030314/od_uk_nm/oukoe_iraq_pigeons
The distribution of dozens of the birds to Marine regiments in the Kuwaiti desert on Friday raised some laughter but also underlined how seriously the U.S. military is taking the threat of gas attack should it invade Iraq.
"They're an extra sensor," said Staff Sergeant Dan Wallace, who is responsible for all precautions against nuclear, chemical and biological attack in his regiment.
Pigeons are more sensitive to nerve and chemical agents than humans. Just as canaries once warned miners of the threat of explosive gas, the U.S. military thinks pigeons may once again prove to be the difference between life and death.
"I got sensors that cost $12,000 (7,537 pounds) and birds that cost $60 each and I place just as much trust in the bird as the sensor. Anything mechanical can fail or give us wrong readings."
Each bird came with a cage and a supply of bird seed.
The marines admitted they had little idea how to care for the birds, but said they would be learning fast. "We were supposed to get chickens but they died before they got here," Wallace said.
It was not clear if U.S. army or British forces would also get pigeons, which have a long history of helping man in war.
In Greek and Roman times, pigeons brought news of victory and defeat from the battle front. In World Wars One and Two, they carried messages across enemy lines.
Some were even awarded medals for their exploits.
Want to learn more?
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...10&u=/nm/20030314/od_uk_nm/oukoe_iraq_pigeons