This is an older video from Funker530, taken by one of Funker Actual's friends on his deployment to Afghanistan. His friend has clearly never met a U.S. Marine before.

Alright gents, sit, kneel, bend. This is an OG video from the archive of Funker530 back when the channel was literally called Afghanistan Combat Footage - Funker530. It was recorded by one of Funker Actual's buddy on their op in Afghanistan, and the original title is Common Sense Claymore. It's called that because you'd think that all of the warnings on the back of the Claymore seem to be common sense things you wouldn't think require a warning.

Now, let me tell you about the United States Marines. Warning labels would help, but we can't read.

If there is a warning label on an explosive, you can immediately point to the 0311 of the United States Marine Corps for that specific label's existence. I spent eight years in the operating forces of the Marine Corps as a Machine Gunner, and I have seen the 0311 breed of infantryman do some absolutely stupid stuff. Even with the warning labels already in place, there's an almost 100% chance that an 0311 has tested the validity of the label just to be sure they weren't pulling his leg, or done something to cause a new warning label to be required.

For example. In 2008, we were in the back of some tracks doing an urban assault course in 29 Palms known as the DAC. In my track was one squad of rifleman (0311), one squad of machine gunners (0331), and one squad of assaultmen (0351, RIP). Our portion of the DAC went off without a hitch. Our mission was to get out of the tracks, provide a support by fire for the assaultmen, and for the assaultmen to breech a lane in a notional minefield with improvised bangalores so that the rest of the tracks could maneuver through easily. Simple enough mission, but the problem here lies in the improvised bangalores the assaultmen had.

You see, they brought extra C4 with them in the event they needed to make another bangalore on site. After we completed the DAC, we had to ride back to Camp Wilson in the back of the tracks. This was something like a 6-hour evolution because we moved back tactically to conclude the operation. That's six hours in the back of a track for a group of infantrymen, unsupervised by a single Marine over the rank of E4. Something bad is bound to happen whenever a group of Lance Corporals spends six hours in the back of a track with three extra sticks of wrapped C4.

If you've never seen wrapped C4, then you probably don't know this. Each stick of C4 has a warning on it. Do not eat. As if tempting the Marines to prove the stick of plastic explosives wrong, someone decided it would be a good idea to put that on every single stick. I don't know why. While we were on the drive back, one of the 0311's, who shall remain unnamed, decided he would challenge that warning label. Our assaultmen tried to warn him that it wasn't a good idea, but they only did so haphazardly because I think they may have been curious as to what would happen.

Next thing we know, this kid has cracked the stick of C4 like a pack of Crayola, and has taken a full sized bite out of it. An hour later, he's being medically evacuated to the hospital for consuming plastic explosives. He was subsequently hit with non-judicial punishment, and the senior assaultman from our track was given an extensive negative counseling for allowing it to happen. Fast forward two days, our entire company is receiving a safety brief on how you shouldn't test the warning labels on explosives.

So, yes. Common sense warning labels on explosives are needed. Even when present, United States Marines will not be deterred.

This has been my TEDTalk, thank you.