Modern War Heroes » injury

Surrounded By Taliban, But He Took Them On

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:15:12 +0000

This is the face of a truly brave man. I’m sure many, when faced with the challenges he faced, would not have been able to act with the level of bravery and skill that Staff Sgt. Lincoln Dockery did.

It all started on an ordinary day in eastern Afghanistan. Dockery’s platoon had been ordered to investigate a report on a possible IED planted in the area around the villages of Kandegal and Omar. Unfortunately, the road-clearing platoon discovered the explosive device the hard way – by landing on it. The vehicle-mounted mine detector leading the convoy set the device off, causing an explosion that knocked down the dismounted troops, Dockery included. At the same moment, more than 30 insurgents opened fire on the soldiers.

Dazed from the blast, and despite heavy fire, Dockery risked his life to awaken the driver, Pfc. Amador Magana, who had been knocked unconscious from the explosion. Once Magana was awake and firing at the enemy, Dockery decided he wasn’t satisfied with merely saving the life of his comrade.

Seeing his convoy in danger from the heavy fire, he, along with Spc. Corey Taylor, stormed the enemy position, which was a staggering 75 feet up the mountainside. Not to be daunted, the two rushed upward, then crawled along – the whole way throwing grenades at the insurgents. Shrapnel hit Dockery, but he didn’t let slow him down.

Eventually he and Taylor found themselves taking shelter under a rock incline, so close to the enemy that they could hear them talking. They remained holed up there while Dockery attempted to get 1st Lt. William Cromie, his platoon leader, on the radio.

Finally they reached Cromie on the radio, but no one below could spot their position. No one knew how to reach them.

And they were running out of ammunition.

Cromie made the risky decision to take on the mountain by himself. He grabbed extra ammo and reached the two men above. Between the three of them, they were able to force the insurgents into a retreat.

Dockery received a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his brave tactics against the enemy. Cromie also received a Silver Star for his actions.

I don’t know about you, but reading a story like this just gives me the shivers. Such bravery in the face of death and injury really humbles me.

Iraqi Boy Thankful For His Soldier Benefactor

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:16:28 +0000

I found this story on DETnews.com (The Detroit News) and thought it was really sweet. To sum it up, a young Iraqi boy named Mohammed who had been injured in a house fire when he was an infant. He has had a hard life growing up. He lost his father to terrorists who didn’t like that he was acting as an interpreter for the American forces. They killed him and threatened his family.With his father dead, his mother had no means for support and begged on the streets.

But Mohammed caught the eye of Michigan soldier David Howell. David swore that he would do what he could for the young man. He said he “felt an obligation as an American to do something for this family”.

After hard works and miles of red tape, Howell succeeded in his efforts to have Mohammed relocated to the United States. Here he received much needed medical care and reconstructive surgery.

Mohammed is scheduled to return to Iraq in April. Understandably he has mixed feelings about the journey.

“I am excited about seeing my brothers and sisters, but I am not excited about going back to Iraq,” said Mohammed, who calls his family weekly to share his progress. “There are terrorists there. I am afraid I am going to get killed in Iraq.” (source)

One day hopefully Mohammed can feel safe at home once again.

Amazing Survivor

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:42:01 +0000

A man by the name of Channing Moss,23, was on duty in Afghanistan. He was standing in the turret of the fifth HumVee in a convoy of five. A fellow passenger and teammember, Eric Wynn, was sitting in the front seat of the vehicle. As the desolate scenery rolled by, he cautiously noted the ridges along the landscape, seeing them as a perfect place for an ambush.

Unfortunately his prediction came true as Taliban insurgents appeared with AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. The troops quickly returned fire as Wynn attempted to get the vehicle out of harm’s way. Wynn was hit in the face, losing part of his nose and his upper lip was terribly torn and ripped.

“I’m like, ‘What the hell happened?’ I start to look around the truck. It was then that I see Moss.”

When Wynn turned to check on Moss, he was greeted to a horrific sight. An RPG had hit him dead on,wreaking havoc on his lower torso. And sticking out of his abdomen were the tail fins. Moss quickly realized the danger he was in. He had an unexploded bomb inside his body.

“I could see the tail fins sticking out of me,” Moss said weeks later from his hospital bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. “I was thinking: I am going to die this way.”

Despite his worries that he would be left to die, and against regulations, the medics bandaged him the best they could and packed him into a helicopter. They listed the metal bomb inside him as “shrapnel” instead more accurate “live explosive”.

After a harrowing surgery, the doctors were able to save Channing Moss’ life. He had to endure physical therapy and tremendous pain resulting from his injuries, but he’s just glad to be alive.

Follow this link to read the entire story in detail. Nerve wracking to know what this young man had to go through.

A Friend Always Has Your Back

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:34:53 +0000

Daniel Collins shows off his damaged body armor. The tear at the bottom is where the bullet tore through the armor.

Now this is an incredible story. Lance Sergeant Daniel Collins was out on duty when he was struck down by a Taliban sniper. He was hit in the back by a high powered 7.62mm round – the bullet went through his protective vest, but didn’t completely pierce his flesh. His comrade Platoon Sergeant Lewis came to his rescue and dug the lodged bullet out of Collins’ back with his bare hands. Amazing.

He said: ‘I knelt down in an irrigation ditch in partial cover when I was hit in the back by a single shot. It must have been from about 200 to 300m away.

‘It knocked me down in an instant – it felt like being hit by a sledge-hammer at full swing.

‘I was face down in mud but I managed to shout to Sergeant Lewis that I’d had been shot.’

He added: ‘He replied in disbelief. So I said again: ‘Seriously Grant, I’ve been shot in the back.

‘He crawled over to me, lifted up my body armour and physically removed the bullet with his bare hands.

‘I was afraid that I would be bleeding heavily and I told Platoon Sergeant Lewis not to tell him how bad it was.

The strike mark of the bullet where it hit the bottom of Lance Sergeant Collins’ ceramic body armour plate

‘I was amazed when he said: ‘You’ve just got a bruise – there’s no blood.’

You can see in that photo how close Collins came to death. Only an inch lower and the bullet would have torn through him unimpeded by the armor. Though the bullet didn’t do any serious damage, Collins was in extreme pain when he was airlifted to the Camp Bastion hospital.

‘If I ever meet the person who designed our body armour, I’ll buy them a pint.’

For the entire story click here.