How to launch a boat in Iraq...

[Matt Garcia]

Here are a couple of pictures my cousin sent me who's in the Navy deployed in Iraq. He said these pictures are taken in Lake Thar Thar in the al Anbar province and they also do a lot of operating on the Euphrates river. This boat is a RPB(Riverine Patrol Boat), which is based on the SURC(Small Unit Riverine Craft) made by Safe Boats International.

I asked if they ever get those rigs stuck like that and he said they often do. In these pictures the water level is very low so they are launching at places that are 100-150 meters from where the waterline used to be.

Anyway thought it was pretty dang cool.

[larryueckert]

all your cousin needs now is a tigeowners sticker on the boat

[MTtigekid]

all your cousin needs now is a tigeowners sticker on the boat

x2.... so how big of a wake does that thing make?? is it surf able? all joking aside thats really sweet

[Timmy!]

Surreal pictures!

[dinfusino]

Tell him I thank him for his service to this great country! And to stay safe.

[dogbert]

That is cool, thanks for sharing!

[da.bell]

Wow, interesting that it's being done that way. Thanks for sharing

[ImaPigDog]

Tell him I thank him for his service to this great country! And to stay safe.

^^^^^^^ x2

Very cool photos. I can't even image being on patrol on one of those.

[zad0030]

Hey, that boat kind of looks like an Epic

[MTtigekid]

Hey, that boat kind of looks like an Epic

ohhhh no not again

[Fast1911]

pretty cool pictures Matt, tell him to stay safe

[Lucky 275]

wow. They don't mess around.

Make sure he has a throwable PFD in there to stay legal.

[Matt Garcia]

Funny thing is my cousin was inquiring about wakeboarding PFD's. He wanted to wear a thin one under his vest. He was telling me that "flotation collars" they are issued are bulky, hard to shoot with and aren't buoyant.

[lightning59]

Thanks for the pics Matt, we appreciate all the men and women wearing the uniform and serving!

[raythompson]

I think they need to do a little work on the color scheme before I would consider skiing behind that boat.

But seriously, why would you use normal camouflage colors on a boat that is used in the water. Would not water colors be more appropriate? Or perhaps some combination of the two?

And lastly, being a Vietnam Veteran myself, those guys deserve everyone's thanks and respect for what they are doing. We did not get that in the 'Nam days. So I salute those guys.