"We found them, tracked them, then picked the time and the place to strike in order to minimize collateral damage," Harbin said. "We were so precise that the dog got away."
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He helped clear the fog of war
A U.S. pilot saw a way to streamline airstrikes. The solution -- and his cause -- was the Rover, a device that would one day save his life.
COLUMN ONE
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Now, back from Afghanistan, Harbin walks the halls of the Pentagon, carrying his Rover laptop in a backpack. He darts from office to office, using videos to sell the system to decision-makers from every service.
Among top Air Force officials, there is little doubt that without Harbin, the Rover might have remained a niche technology used by only a few.
"I am not the guy who invented it. I am not the guy who built it. I am not the only one who believes in it," Harbin said. "My role was to get it out there."
Sitting in a Pentagon cafeteria lined with vending machines, his Rover at his feet, Harbin paused between meetings to consider what he had achieved.
"When you believe in something, you can't just talk about it and make PowerPoint slides. You have to go out to the battlefield and show how it works," he said. "I knew it would be useful. I didn't know it would change the way we fight."
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julian.barnes@latimes.com
