Posted on 09/23/2007 7:46:56 AM PDT by 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]
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Also...GREAT job by ABC reporter!!!
Please go to the link and read the whole story. You will be moved to the core of your being!!
Great story. Unbelievable really. God Bless Pvt. Moss & the brave surgeons who made sure he made it home. Damn!
Regards
Tears running down my cheeks! God bless our brave soldiers.
This is quite a story!
God bless all the people who risked their lives to save this soldier! From the medics, to the helicopter crews who willingly took “unexploded ordinance” on their flight. Talk about bravery!
Worth repeating...
Thank you, yes...also, everyone, please ping everyone you know!!!
...and the medic is 23-freakin' years old. When I hear about these 20-something whiners living with their parents becaue "life is too tough" I get ill.
If I didn't know better, I would think it started "raining" in here about half-way through.
That’s just unreal. What a brave medic, evac team, etc.
PING PING PING PING!!!
Please read the whole article! The courage is outstanding!!
Quite a topic for next month’s UT, no?
Truly an amazing story, I am so proud of our young men in times like these.
That’s a beautiful story man. The kind of thing that makes readers want to be better men and women. It even captured the attention of my 4 y/o.
Does anyone remember the ARVN soldier with the mortar round stuck in him that was removed by American doctors in a field hospital? The solider was surrounded with four walls of sandbags. Then, reaching through ports left in the sand bags the doctors removed the mortar round.
Bravery runs in the veins of America’s fighting forces from generation to generation. The same can’t be said for our politicians.
You all have a following...hope you can ping this...never asked this before...just an amazing story.
Incredible. Just incredible.
Thanks for the ping - what a wonderful story of courage have just read the complete article and have tears in my eyes.
No sir, that is the norm with our soldiers. They will lay their life on the line any day to save their brothers in arms. When they fight, they are fighting for each other to stay alive. There are no better men than our soldiers.
Not food related, but was pinged to pass this on to everyone else.
Wow! What a story! What heroes!
And you’re right, it was a really good, well written story.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.