Time to get serious for a few moments! This was passed on to me from friend, Benny Brown:
This came from Allan Zullo, an author, who is writing a book on war heroes.It is an extraordinary and true story:
As you might know, I'm working on the book WAR HEROES: Voices from Afghanistan. One of the stories is about PVT Channing Moss, who was impaled by a live rocket propelled grenade (RPG) during a Taliban ambush while on patrol. Army protocol says that medevac choppers are never to carry anyone with a live round in him. Even though they feared it could explode, the flight crew said damn the protocol and flew him to the nearest aid station. Again, protocol said that in such a case the patient is to be put in a sandbagged area away from the surgical unit, given a shot of morphine and left to wait (and die) until others are treated.
Again, the medical team ignored the protocol. Here's a seven-minute video put together by the Military Times, which includes actual footage of the surgery where Dr. John Oh, a Korean immigrant who became a naturalized citizen and went to West Point,removed the live round with the help of volunteers and a member of the EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) team. I've interviewed several of the people involved. Moss has undergone six operations but is doing well at home in Gainesville, GA. To me, this is one of the most amazing stories I've ever worked on. I think you'll find the video pretty remarkable.
Click here for the video.
Thanks, Benny!
