Surgeons Wear Body Armor to Remove Explosives From Soldier's Head

[ToughOmbre]

These docs deserve to be decorated

U.S. Army surgeons donned body armor to remove a high-explosive bullet from a soldier's head during a tense five-hour operation, The Sun reported Friday.

Non-essential staff at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan were evacuated during the surgery to remove the Taliban bullet, which contained two ounces of high explosives powerful enough to kill the entire surgical
team.

Medics succeeded in delicately extracting it and their unnamed patient — a member of the Afghan National Army, who was injured in a bomb blast — was recovering Thursday night.

Sergeant William Carter, a member of the surgical team who performed under lockdown at the military hospital, said, "It was a real concentrated effort on everyone's behalf to ensure that we were all safe, and the patient was safe as well."

In half a century, U.S. medical teams tackled fewer than 50 cases involving the removal of deadly explosives from patients.

"This type of situation is remarkable," Carter said.

Docs pull explosive Taliban bullet out of soldier's head | The Sun

TO

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Wow, talk about nerve wrecking! Good job in getting it done too!

 

[Glider]

I am pretty sure that I have seen a photo of a USAF gunner being prepared for treatment by the Germans with an unexploaded 20mm shell in his leg.
Can anyone back this distant memory up?

 

[RabidAlien]

Definitely above and beyond the call!

 

[vikingBerserker]

A-Fricken-Men!

 

[Vassili Zaitzev]

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I am pretty sure that I have seen a photo of a USAF gunner being prepared for treatment by the Germans with an unexploaded 20mm shell in his leg.
Can anyone back this distant memory up?

His leg was not gone just from the impact? Even a non HE 20mm round is going to probably remove your leg.

 

[Wayne Little]

 

[schwarzpanzer]

Whew! Poor guy. He was lucky though, I suppose. What weapon likely did this?

Notice they destroyed the round - I'd be tempted to keep it as a souvenir! (sans explosive fillling though).

Theres that story of the guy with an RPG in his chest too.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Theres that story of the guy with an RPG in his chest too.

We had a Blackhawk (okay it was National Guard Blackhawk) that was attached to my unit (we did not have enough Helicopters in our unit) that took an RPG. The projectile went through the chin bubble and hit the pilot. It took of both of her legs. She survived...

As far as I know she is a Veterans Spokeswoman now and a Major now.

 

[Gnomey]

Remarkable feat.

 

[Ferdinand Foch]

 

[schwarzpanzer]

Hi Deradler,

The poor woman! Did it detonate? or was it just the Kinetic Energy?

Still I'm glad she survived, and made the most of it.

Are RPG HEAT rounds that dangerous to infantry? - Think I heard that they have a secondary detonation setting (including self-destruct). Those Thermobaric warheads look nasty - wouldnt wanna be on the end of one of those.

 

[Pong]

Wow, imagine how scary it was for the surgeons. One wrong move and your whole team is blown to smithereens...

Amazing feat.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Hi Deradler,

The poor woman! Did it detonate? or was it just the Kinetic Energy?

Still I'm glad she survived, and made the most of it.

Are RPG HEAT rounds that dangerous to infantry? - Think I heard that they have a secondary detonation setting (including self-destruct). Those Thermobaric warheads look nasty - wouldnt wanna be on the end of one of those.

We were told that it did not detonate. The online reports say that it did detonate, so I am not sure. They were based out of a different airfield than us. About a week before this incident we had flown down to there base and were stuck in a sand storm there. We had talked to her about a week prior.

 

[Rivet]

I'm certain that the incident you mention, Glider, occured on several occasions. Many allied airmen were wounded in the event that caused their leaving the aircraft.
I trained an an Infantry Medic at Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, Tx. If military medicine trips your triggers you might want to visit the museum on post, as well as visit the website.
This is the first report I've read regarding an surgical operation with a unexploded bit of ordnance involved in the post 9/11 fracas, though I know of many in previous conflicts. Were there any other incidents simular recently?

 

[schwarzpanzer]

Hi DerAdler,

Thanks for the info. Stories often conflict - it can be hard to know what happened a year ago, never mind 60+!

Have you met her after the incident?

I considered Neurosurgeon as a career, and if it was me, I couldnt just leave it in the poor guys head.

Imagine how the poor patient felt - if I it was me, I'd be like "Geddit out!Geddit out!Geddit out!Geddit out!!". Though if they told me to lie still, I think I would! (or at least try my best to!).

 

[CharlesBronson]

Unbeliavable for two thing, one that you an survive a 23mm round hit, two: that you can survive an 23mm hit in the head.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Have you met her after the incident?

No I have not.