Is no other than Ralph DeQuebec, a US Marine, whom lost both legs in Afghanistan... and a 2x US Paralympic Gold Medalist for Sled Hockey!
He is my good friends / BHL teammates cousin! So please give him an extra loud ovation tonight!
Older article from SI on him:
https://www.si.com/nhl/2016/02/05/ralph-dequebec-usa-warriors-usa-national-development-sled-team
As much respect as I have for the brave men and women that lost their lives or limbs (or mind's) fighting in the Middle East, it actually went up a few notches about 15 years ago when I started reading stories and looking at diagrams on some of the more sophisticated IEDs these terrorist scumbags were using on our troops.
I was examining one diagram of these new IED's, which are now referred to as EFP's (Explosively Formed Penetrators), when I suddenly realized what I was looking at: Basically a modified Cadweld or exothermic weld. As I mentioned I'm an electrician and one of the most dangerous things we do is weld copper ground cables together using exothermic welds.
When I did my first Cadweld, my initial thought was how dangerous it was, especially if it was something that could be weaponized.
Well those sinister bomb makers in the Middle East came up with an idea of essentially shooting improvised Cadwelds at armored vehicles transporting our troops. Once I realized the significance of these new bombs, I had difficulty sleeping. Just thinking about being inside of a Humvee when it gets hit with an EFP gave me nightmares.
EFP's penetrate the armor by blowing molten copper through the hole they create and into the interior of the armored vehicle at approximately 1500 degrees.
How powerful are these devices? Let me give you an example...
...back in the mid-70s when the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (the largest power plant in the US) was under construction in Tonopah, Arizona, union members warned everyone about not bringing anything but American made vehicles on the site. It took 12 years to build that power plant and the one story that always comes back is about someone that made the mistake of driving his Honda into an area filled with electricians driving nothing but an American-made cars and trucks.
Someone placed a Cadweld on the hood of this person's Honda and ignited it. When they got back to their vehicle, the Cadweld had burned 2 inch hole all the way to the ground through the engine block and the frame, leaving a pile of molten copper underneath the car.
I've used exothermic welding in a variety of projects in my career and were essential in the construction of the sound stages at NBC and KABC in Burbank, et al. Proper grounding is a vital part of construction as it reduces the possibility of signal loss through frequency interference.
But it is inherently dangerous and something I still dread and highly-respect.
And the fact these evil bomb makers came up with this to kill and maim our troops only serves to underscore how truly sinister these people are. So many of our brave troops have lost arms and legs to these devices. How terrifying and painful it must have been.
God Bless your brave friend. He's a true hero.
A Cadweld in progress:
