Rumor Doctor blog archive
Did someone swim in the Kandahar poo pond?
Published: August 6, 2010
Special operations forces’ exploits are often the thing of legend. It is no accident that two of the five Medal of Honor recipients for service in Iraq and Afghanistan are Navy SEALs.
It seems like there is nothing they can’t do, including taking a swim in the cesspool at Kandahar Air Field.
That’s right: One of The Rumor Doctor’s reliable sources tipped The Doctor off to a rumor that a Special Forces soldier intentionally swam in the large poop pond at Kandahar Air Field to win a bet.
One of The Rumor Doctor’s colleagues at Stars and Stripes said he didn’t think a human being could survive a dip in the muck, but if anyone could do it, it would be our bearded friends in special ops.
The Doctor dutifully asked U.S. Special Operations Command if there is any truth to this rumor, and if so, whether the warrior in question was disciplined, but SOCOM deferred to officials in Afghanistan.
NATO is aware of the rumor “and also many others involving the super – if not downright supernatural powers” of special operations forces, said NATO spokesman Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale.
“As their powers (super and otherwise) are things I can neither confirm nor deny, what I can confirm unequivocally, is that there is no proof that we can find (that might not already be bound in some sort of compartmented access clearance) of any of our SOF warriors swimming in or otherwise sailing the dark seas of the Kandahar Air Field poo pond,” Breasseale said in an e-mail.
THE RUMOR DOCTOR’S DIAGNOSIS: Officially, it never happened, but that can be said about most special ops. But if it did, it would give a whole new meaning to the term “Black Ops.”
BURGER KING UPDATE: Speaking of Kandahar Air Field, The Rumor Doctor asked Gen. David Petraeus’ spokesman if there is anything new on whether the Burger King and other fast food places on base might be re-opened.
Petraeus’ command sergeant major, Marvin Hall, will work with other command sergeants major on the issue after he arrives some time this month, said Col. Erik O. Gunhus. They will provide Petraeus with recommendations on the way forward.
E-mail The Rumor Doctor at:
jeffrey.schogol@stripes.osd.mil
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