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]

[NicknamedBob]

"(Machts nicht... I'm off likely until I've landed in Germany and who knows when then?...)"

Guten abend. Drink at least one for me. I'll be monitoring.

[rottndog]

No, I’m not “that” Bob.

He’s number 13013.



I’m number 880.


"that" Bob is a Johnny-come-lately Bob.

[NicknamedBob]

Oh, he’s been around a while. But I don’t think he admits to being older than dirt.

[rottndog]

Don’t need to admit to something that is blatantly obvious.

[NicknamedBob]

Being older than dirt is a part of my resumé.

[fanfan]

The Loonie was $1.02 US yesterday.

The price difference is due to taxes and monopolies.

[fanfan]

[Tax-chick]

The price difference is due to taxes and monopolies.

How interesting.

[Tax-chick]

How yu, Bob? Other than being older than dirt, I mean.

[MissEdie]

Makes me proud to be an American!!

[fanfan]

How interesting.

Or frustrating, depending on which side of the border one lives.

I can buy Canadian beer cheaper in the US than I can here. :-(

[rottndog]

So how many candles are on your birthday cake when you are older than dirt?

[Monkey Face]

Does it matter? The cake and candles are probably fossilized!

[Tax-chick]

Enough to set off the fire alarm!

Not much luck with the yard sale. I gave out two voter registration forms and two Spanish Mass flyers. Anoreth didn’t get any takers on magic wands; not many teens out. She can sell them at the church festival in two weeks.

[NicknamedBob]

"So how many candles are on your birthday cake when you are older than dirt?"

None. They don't make candles in that kind of quantity. Nor could you get the last one lit before the first one ran out of fuel.

We just make do as best we can. The ice cream is more important anyway.

[Tax-chick]

The catz are annoyed with us.

[fanfan]

And the hat!

Don't forget the hat!

[fanfan]

[rottndog]

Well now atomic candles have plenty of half life....

Problem is you can’t just blow ‘em out.

What’s the favorite flavor of ice cream in the cosmos?

[rottndog]

A little early for us, but Happy Thanksgiving to You fanfan!