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]

[Monkey Face]

I used to get bronchitis every year, until I quit smoking. I’m so glad I don’t have to feel that bad any more. ... :o]

[sionnsar]

I had pneumonia twice, and the second time, when I was 14, was really bad.

Ugh! I've heard that once you have pneumonia you're more susceptible?

[fanfan]

I wash my hands too. It’s the best defence.

My son came home with stomach flu, so I guess I’m more interested in germs than I usually would be.

Hand washing is the best thing....Does anyone know how to clean a keyboard on a lap top?

---

A good night FRiends.

[Monkey Face]

I’ve never had pneumonia...but I did get a vaccination for one type of it. Can’t recall what type, though...

[Monkey Face]

Get a can of air and use it between the keys. Also, you can turn the laptop upside down when you do that to make sure the debris doesn’t “hide.”

G’night, Sis!

[sionnsar]

Does anyone know how to clean a keyboard on a lap top?

They're usually removable, but I don't know what you'd do beyond that.

[fanfan]

.

[darkangel82]

yeah....anyway, enough sick talk.

[sionnsar]

Here's a funny one from the same trip. Understand, this fellow has a PhD (at least one) and is a recognized world expert and consultant in architectural acoustics, but...

[Monkey Face]

He looks like I feel when faced with a new toy!

[sionnsar]

This is from my committee meeting in Paris. Though it could be a "plenary" session anywhere in the world. (Working group meetings are seated quite differently.) We're seated pretty much alphabetically by country -- the fellow on the far left is Australia.

[sionnsar]

He looks like I feel when faced with a new toy!

Me too, actually, but seeing the camera reversed like that was funny.

[sionnsar]

It was a very dark day in Paris that day; you can get a hint of that here, though I've brightened the photo some. Interestingly, while waiting in the hours-long to ascend the Eiffel Tower, I learned that the couple ahead of us in line live just a few blocks from one of my old elementary schools. Michiganders do get around!

[Monkey Face]

Yep! Some days, it’s hard for me to do anything that isn’t reversed!! LOL!

[Monkey Face]

Paris is probably somewhere near the bottom of my “Places To See” list. I suppose if I had the opportunity to go, I would, but I wouldn’t instigate it.

[sionnsar]

Paris is probably somewhere near the bottom of my “Places To See” list. I suppose if I had the opportunity to go, I would, but I wouldn’t instigate it.

LoM has roots in Paris. She visited the house where her great-grandfather was raised - and from a quite unrelated situation, her other native language is Parisian French. I have yet to encounter the infamous Parisian or even French rudeness on my two visits (Lyon and Paris), even when LoM wasn't there. We (and I alone) experienced situations where a local, seeing we were (or I was) a bit lost, obviously American, jumped in to help.

And even where chance bar/bouchon conversations went to the then-coming invasion of Iraq, they were quite polite.

My personal experience says the French are getting a bit of a bad rap.

And LoM and I ARE going to return to Paris. The cathedrals alone are worth it...

[sionnsar]

Yep! Some days, it’s hard for me to do anything that isn’t reversed!! LOL!

Gee, and here I thought it was just me! *\;-)

[Monkey Face]

I always save my opinions of a place until I have the opportunity to see it first hand.

I was never excited about going to NYC, but when I had the opportunity, I went, and opened my mind about what I would see and do there. As a result, it was a much more pleasant experience than I thought it would be, including riding the subways alone.

[Monkey Face]

I’m outta here for the night!

See y’all tomorrow!

[sionnsar]

Good night!