Soldier's Cell Phone Calls Parents During Battle in Afghanistan

[Yankees368]

If you're not in the habit of locking your keypad before throwing it in your pocket or purse, you've probably had it make a few calls without your knowledge. Accidental dialing is annoying, but usually just results in some long, boring voicemails of background noise, or, in a worst-case scenario, captures your off-key singing along with some Michael Buble song your car stereo.

But a recent unintentional voicemail turns out to be a different story, as it was left by Jeff Nolan, a soldier deployed in Afghanistan whose phone dialed his parents' home on Oregon on its own accord -- in the middle of a gunfight.

The nearly three-minute voicemail captures the sound of extended automatic gunfire, a bit of muffled profanity, and ends with a disturbing yell: "Incoming RPG!" Not exactly what you would want to hear coming from your son's phone! Thankfully, Jeff survived the battle, and his family has since posted the voicemail on YouTube for all to hear. [Source: KPTV, via Textually.org]

Audio included in this link Soldier's Cell Phone Calls Parents During Battle in Afghanistan - Switched

[Kalimotxo]

This story has been floating around all the major news networks this week...

What I'm wondering is how this was able to happen. Are soldiers allowed to carry cell phones with them like that? Would it have been a civilian cell phone or something the military supplied? Or a sat phone?

[COtech]

For economy's sake, just a GSM phone on one of the two 900 MHz networks, I'd expect.

COtech

[AnthroMatt]

I would think soldiers are ordered to leave their personal phones back at their camps. I don't think it would be good if an ememy captured a soldier that was carrying his personal cell phone. They could deliver some pretty horrible messages to his loved ones that way, and it might even make a soldier more willing to talk if he somehow though family or friends might be harrassed.

[RadioRaiders]

Don't US troops usually carry some kind of a cellphone jammer with them to block IED's set off by cellphones?

[walkguru]

we used to send tapes home and sometimes would inadvertly capture the sounds of battle. not a good thing tho. it really upsets the folks back home.

[bobolito]

I don't know if they are allowed to carry personal gadgets, but I remember a story not long ago where an iPod took a bullet and saved a soldier's life.

[maximus]

My brother just got back from Iraq. They aren't allowed to bring their cell phones with them. As I recall he left his in the states. He is a Marine. Not sure if other branches have the same rule.

[RJB]

Originally Posted by AnthroMatt

I would think soldiers are ordered to leave their personal phones back at their camps. I don't think it would be good if an ememy captured a soldier that was carrying his personal cell phone. They could deliver some pretty horrible messages to his loved ones that way, and it might even make a soldier more willing to talk if he somehow though family or friends might be harrassed.

I agree..........

[Ddeere2]

This has to be scary for his parents, hearing that and wondering what happened, hoping nothing had happened. But still, it shouldn't have happened because I know, besides the Marines as maximus said, Army personel aren't allowed to carry anything except essential gear. My dad tried his cell phone over there when he was there with the Rangers, but it said no service. It was a GSM. They're allowed to use Sat phones, but only when they're not on duty. I wouldn't doubt they're punishing him for taking it out there and allowing that to happen. As to the Jammers, not a lot of the companies can afford them, so they might have not had one with them. They cost if I remember correctly, something like 20,000 a piece.

[Mobile Mike]

Scary stuff...