CNN – If it were a movie, the moment would play slowly. In the seconds after the Marines scrambled, they realized Winder was down. They ran to him and realized, in an awesomely frightening moment, they were looking down at an unexploded grenade. Marines do what they have to do. It was no different in this case. One of the troops leaned over Winder and joked, “I’m glad I have my protective glasses on.” A U.S. Army Medivac team that happened to be flying already was radioed. He listened as he was told Winder’s situation. The crew understood the stakes immediately. Moving Winder into their helicopter meant moving the RPG. The device could explode at any minute. It could go off while they made the 65-mile flight to the nearest medical facility. All aboard could die. At the very least, medics working over Winder could take devastating shrapnel wounds if the RPG exploded. Each medic on the helicopter voted. It was unanimous. They were going to try to save the soldier’s life. “I promise you,” Gennari told Winder. “I will not leave you until that thing is out of your leg.” “Cool,” Winder uttered, and then passed out. He’s now walking with a cane.
“Imagine someone heating up a pole and putting it in your leg, and imagine that attached to that pole is a bomb,” said Winder’s trauma surgeon, Lt. Cmdr. Elliot Jessie. ” “He’s a Marine, so he’s highly motivated,” said Jessie. “The first thing they want to know is when can I get back to my unit and when can I get back to being me. … That makes taking care of them relatively easy.”
It’s a hard thing to explain to people who haven’t been there.
“From the time I got hit, to the time I got knocked out, I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t thinking about it. It would’ve been a big explosion. I wouldn’t have felt a thing,” he said, stressing each word so that he can be better understood. “The thing I was thinking about is: ‘Who is going to lead my Marines? Who is going to take over for me? Are they better off without me?’ ” he said. “That’s everybody’s biggest fear – having to leave your Marines behind. “This is my job. My job included a lot of stuff that may happen. One of those things happened to me. But those guys, those guys, they were there for me.”
Unreal story. No other way to describe it. Just a little reminder that while we are sitting here worrying about Game 7 we got marines half way across the world protecting this country and taking RPG’s to the leg. Kind of puts things in perspective. Also it dovetails nicely with that story about the Mass war vet who got denied renting an apartment in Savan Hill because the landlord was an anti war activist. In case you missed that story…
BOSTON (CBS) – A Massachusetts veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has filed a civil rights lawsuit against an anti-war activist who declined to rent him an apartment. Sgt. Joel Morgan, 29, tried to rent a two-bedroom apartment in the Savin Hill section of Dorchester from 63-year-old Janice Roberts. “I’ve been deployed so many times, I really haven’t had much of a home,” he told WBZ-TV. Morgan didn’t get the apartment. According to the lawsuit, Roberts told Morgan his war service and her peace activism presented a “conflict of interest.” “Because of what you told me about the Iraq war… we are very adamant about our beliefs… it’s just not comfortable for us… and I’m sure now that you know this, it would not be comfortable for you,” Roberts said in a voicemail to Morgan “I would suggest you do the right thing and look for a place less politically active or controversial.”
This is probably my biggest pet peeve in the world. I don’t care whether you’re pro war, anti war or what. Obviously everybody is entitled to their opinion. But you seriously must have a brain malfunction if you can’t separate protesting policy decisions and supporting our soldiers. Our troops do what our elected leaders feel is in the best interest of the country. They risk their lives everyday. You want to protest Washington go ahead. But the second you start protesting anything that enhances our troops quality of living or deny renting them apartments than you deserve to be excommunicated in my mind. You just have no grasp on reality or how many families are being effected. You have grasp on how big the sacrifice is. You put more importance on your ego and opinions than the lives of America heroes. If you can’t appreciate that than you lose your right to live here nevermind own property. So I truly hope this bitch’s apartment building burns down with her in it. She’d deserve it.
and if the troops didn't volunteer it wouldn't be volunteer you moron. There is something called the draft. Maybe you've heard of it