Military Medical Team Makes the 'Toughest Call' (GI IMPALED BY BOMB - courage abounds!!!)

ABC News ^ | 9/22/07 | Ruth Reiss

[paulat]

Unexploded Rocket-Propelled Grenade Impales Army Private in Afghanistan By RUTH REISS

[snip]

One RPG skidded past Lt. Mariani's vehicle. All of the vehicles had to quickly get out of the "kill zone." But before they could get to safety, two rockets hit Pvt. Moss' Humvee.

Staff Sgt. Eric Wynn, 33, the soldier in the front passenger seat, felt one slice through his face. Moss remembers the truck practically lift up. He was thrown up against the Humvee and then moved to return fire.

"I smelled something smoking and I looked down ... and I was smoking," he said.

Wynn turned to tell Moss where to fire and saw the tail fins of the RPG sticking out of Moss' side.

Roughly the length of a baseball bat, an RPG travels at the speed of a bullet. At the front end is the warhead -- a large grenade. The detonator and fuel are contained in the shaft. On the back are its fins, pieces of metal that stick out like legs on a camera tripod. The RPG is the weapon of choice for many of the world's guerillas.

Luckily for Moss, the company medic Spc. Jared Angell, 23, who the soldiers call "Doc," was in his Humvee

[snip]

A Human Bomb The RPG that had plowed into Moss' lower abdomen stretched from one hip to the other. If the RPG went off, it would kill everyone within 30 feet of him. Yet Angell stayed close, bandaging his wounds and stabilizing the weapon so that movement wouldn't cause it to explode.

Moss was still fully conscious, so Angell ordered him to not look down at the injury. He didn't want Moss to panic.

[snip]

[ryan71]

America’s brightest and bravest.

[rottndog]

Drive by Good Morning!

[Monkey Face]

Backatcha!

[Tax-chick]

Running by ...

Pat was in here unsupervised, so I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong :-).

[rottndog]

Back at work...at least it’s Thursday.

Overcast almost to the point of drizzly here. Had to put coats on the girls this morning. It’ll be 85 by noon.

[sionnsar]

Drizzle here.

Dragging today.

[rottndog]

I was awful slow yesterday....

I think it had something to do with the cinnamon in my oatmeal.

[Monkey Face]

Cinnamon is good for you! It helps to lower your blood sugar!

[rottndog]

I didn’t know that...

Really though, I wonder if too much cinnamon makes me tired. I sometimes get very sleepy after morning oatmeal with cinnamon.

[darkangel82]

So is this where everyone’s hiding now?

[rottndog]

Well actually, we seem to be in a holding pattern, as there has been a dirth of ZOT threads.

[fortunecookie]

Wow, what a beautiful story. Such courage and bravery by all involved. And from ABC, no less! Bookmarking and sharing. Thanks! (now, I need a tissue...)

[darkangel82]

There will be one soon, I’m sure.

[sionnsar]

Well actually, we seem to be in a holding pattern, as there has been a dirth of ZOT threads.

There has been a bit of a dearth of ZOT threads in the past few months, but sometimes other factors override.

[Monkey Face]

Actually, it probably has more to do with part of your blood going to your stomach to help process the meals. If you ate smaller meals more often, that sleepiness might disappear.

[Monkey Face]

Howdy, sion. Do you still have the Slows?

[Aquinasfan]

Incredible story!

God bless our troops bump

[sionnsar]

Yup.

[woollyone]

Pvt. Moss, God certainly has plans for you.

[woollyone]

on a lighter note...

...would it be safe to say that a skipping RPG gathers no Moss?