Uxo Report: Fill & Download for Free

When I was patrolling Baghdad in 2003 and 2004 one of our jobs was to locate unexploded ordnance around the city and report it using a a format called a “UXO” report over the radio. Bombs, mortars, grenades, etc. which had failed to detonate were lying around all over the place. We weren't trained to do anything about them without blowing ourselves up, so when we found some we made this UXO report over the radio, posted a conspicuous sign near the explosives to warn people to stay away, and left. Eventually the bomb disposal people (EOD) would get the reports and take care of the situation.The locals learned that we were interested in the locations of unexploded ordnance, and they wanted it gone as well, so they often let us know about its existence and pointed it out to us. So, it was pretty routine one day when some locals let us know about a “bomb” a few blocks away and wanted to show it to us.When we got there what we saw wasn't just a rusty, unexploded mortar shell. It was a flatbed semi trailer containing one long, white missile and a control station to launch the missile. It had, apparently, been sitting in the middle of this city of 5 million people for quite some time. People had stolen the wheels off the trailer and stripped some other items off of it, but the missile was still sitting there containing who knows how many pounds of the explosives that could endanger the people in the neighborhood or be removed for IED construction.I gave my standard UXO report over the radio and was told to “Charlie Mike,” or “continue mission,” meaning that the squad I was leading should put our little sign on that giant missile and continue on our way. I suggested that maybe, for this one, the EOD guys should be dispatched immediately, and we should stand by and wait for them, but even after I spoke to an officer in my chain of command directly on the radio, my orders were still to Charlie Mike.So, I posted my ridiculous little notice on that giant missile to let people know there was UXO in the area, and my squad went on our way, leaving it under that overpass in the middle of the city.

So the process differs for different things.The 9-lines, and I'll use the medevac to describe because they're very similar, are taught and memorized in multiple ways. I taught this in BCT.The soldier is introduced to the 9-line during first aid training. We reinforce that as drill sergeants by having them study it and talking about it and asking questions. We train on it. I'll pull out first aid equipment and have them treat simulated casualties, followed up by delivering a medevac report. We test them on it.In their case they become proficient at using the nine line by doing it over and over again. When a soldier goes to their unit, they will often Harry cards with the information on it. When I worked in a TOC I would receive the medevac requests. I always kept a copy of the request on my desk under a piece of plexiglass so I can write on it with a dry erase marker. When I would go out on mission I actually had the nine line written on my windshield so I could just write the information I need it next to it in a dry erase marker.The point is that we learn it and we teach it so that it is familiar to us. It helps to know what the lines, and most of us probably do know the lines. But when you're actually using it, in the vast majority of circumstances the medevac card will be somewhere around you. If all else fails you already know the information that has to be transmitted and you can give it out in a narrative format and your TOC can form it into an actual nine line.The uxo report is even less commonly trained than the medevac. when I was deployed and we used the uxo report regularly it's not like we had to spit it out really fast and without extra thought. The unit would identify that they needed to give a uxo report. They would verify the format and write out the information. We do not teach the uxo report in basic training. They are familiarized with it, but they are certainly not proficient and giving one. if they go to a unit where it is necessary they will become proficient through repeated exposure and training.TC3, for those who do not know, is tactical combat casualty care. It is the first aid that you perform when you’re in combat. This is taught in basic training. It is taught over 3 days. It is taught by medics. The information taught is reiterated throughout training and tested repeatedly.When you get to your unit, you will conduct first aid training regularly. I believe that we are required to certify on it annually. It becomes very easy to retain when you train on it so often. It becomes easier still when you've actually done it. Watch somebody lose some limbs and then attach four tourniquets to their leg stumps and you will remember how to put a tourniquet on.As for troop leading procedures, that is something you learn by doing. Yes, there are actual classes on it where they give you step by step instructions on how to do troop leading procedures. You may even be quizzed on the steps to it at some point, but the reality is troop leading procedures is pretty intuitive. If you are learning the step-by-step list of how to conduct troop leading procedures, hopefully you have had good leadership and can actually apply those steps to what you would do in reality. That makes performing them very easy because it's just how you do business. I would say that for most people, troop leading procedures are familiar. I could talk to you about them. But we don't have the list memorized step by step. We just do our jobs and it happens to be, hopefully, the same. I can't tell you what's on that list. But I know that I conduct business the way I do because of that list.

In my experience, I don't think we ever referred to them as a call signs.No one ever uses their names over the radio, ever if you are referring to a specific Soldier you use their Battle Roster Number, which is really an alpha numeric series that includes the First Initial and Last Initial followed by the Service Members last four, so it would be something like AA1234. In my experience the only people that ever used battle roster numbers over the net were the senior non-coms, like the Platoon Sergeant talking to the Company First Sergeant. This usually only happened after something like a medical evacuation.A call sign in milspeak is Station ID , but I don't think we ever used that nomenclature, we used the KISS (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID) approach to training our guys on military radio procedures.Training basically consisted of an NCO saying, "Hey you, you're the New RTO, when you talk on the radio you are Green 6 Romeo remember that and don't forget or I'll F*** you Up." To which the young private who gets to carry 30-pounds of radio and batteries around Afghanistan with a big stick in the air that might as well have a sign that says shoot me I'm important responds, "Roger Sergeant." After the Sergeant leaves he asks his fellow privates, "What's an RTO?" To which a Specialist will respond who on the last deployment was probably the RTO, "your the radio guy."After reading the manual, and proceeding to do things by the book, the Squad Leader who appointed E-fuzzy for this wonderful new gig, will "school him" on how things are really done in the Army, memorization will be aided with the Army's favorite pneumonic device, "push ups, go." By the time the E-fuzzy earns his mosquito patch, he'll be using the radio like he's channeling Marconi.But for those of you who want some free lessons in how to be high speed on the radio in an Army Infantry Unit without the Army's favorite pneumonic device here you go:This is based on my time in a typical US Army Stryker Battalions:Note: Wolf Pack and Ghost are just for lack of a better word mascots I made up.On the Battalion Net:"Wolf Pack 6" = Battalion Commander"Wolf Pack 6 Romeo" = Battalion Commander's Radio Telephone Operator aka RTO"Wolf Pack 5" = Battalion XO"Wolf Pack 7" = Battalion Command Sergeant Major"Wolf Pack X-Ray" = Battalion Tactical Operations CenterOn the Company Net:"Ghost 6" = Company Commander"Ghost 6 Romeo" = Company Commanders RTO"Ghost 5" = Company XO"Ghost 7" = Company First Sergeant"Ghost X-Ray" = Company Tactical Operations CenterOn each Platoon Net:1st Platoon would be"Ghost 1-6" = Platoon Leader"Ghost 1-6 Romeo" = 1st Platoons RTO"Ghost 1-7" = 1st Platoons Platoon Sergeant"Ghost 1-1" = 1st Squad's Squad Leader"Ghost 1-2" = 2nd Squad's Squad Leader"Ghost 1-3" = 3rd Squad's Squad LeaderDriver's would be "Ghost 1-1 or 1-2 or 1-3 Delta"Team Leaders would be "Ghost 1-3 Alpha" or "Ghost 1-3 Bravo"2d, 3d and 4th (MGS) 2d platoon follows the same pattern above except the 1 is replaced by a 2. Ditto for 3 & 4.Calls on the Platoon net would resemble this"Ghost 1-6 this Ghost 1-1, we are Red Con 1, over"Usually to readiness condition reports there is no response but if there were it would be:"Ghost 1-1, Ghost 1-6, Acknowledged."Now in practice Companies usually color code their Platoons for simplicities sake for transmission on their platoon net and the company net. So 1st platoon might be red, so it would be something like, with Red replacing everything before the hyphen."Red 1, Red 6, initiate movement over.""Red 6, Red 1, rolling, over"When the platoon transmits on the Company Net it might be:"Ghost X-Ray, Red 6 SP Time Now, over.""Red 6, Ghost X-Ray, SP Time 2134, over."When a platoon transmits on Battalion Net it reverts to the more formalized structure of Ghost Platoon Number (1 thru 4) followed by positional designator (like 6):"Wolf Pack X-Ray, Ghost 1-6 Romeo, over."Ghost 1-6 Romeo, Wolf Pack X-Ray, over.""Wolf Pack X-Ray, Ghost 1-6 Romeo, UXO Report to follow, over.""Ghost 1-6 Romeo, Wolf Pack X-Ray, proceed with report, over."Hopefully this answers your question with a little extra for context.