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Soldier’s gutsy move under Taliban attack

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proteus_lives Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:30 PM
Original message
Soldier’s gutsy move under Taliban attack
A soldier serving with the British Army in Afghanistan has told of the moment he threw back a Taliban hand grenade, telling himself: "I've really only got one chance to do this."

"Rifleman James McKie from Recce Platoon, 3rd Battalion The Rifles was under fire from three directions on a roof when the grenade hit his platoon commander and landed at his feet."

"If it fails, either way, doing nothing, I'm going to get the same amount of hurt. So I picked it up and threw it off the roof."

It exploded in mid-air just seconds later, sending shrapnel flying."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100309/wl_nm/us_britain_grenade


Brave man.
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vadawg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:36 PM
Response to Original message
1. recce rocks, brave squaddie indeed...
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theoldman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:39 PM
Response to Original message
2. That is what I call quick thinking.
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nadinbrzezinski Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:40 PM
Response to Original message
3. Brave... and good for him
and good the fuse was long enough.
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proteus_lives Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:45 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. That's what I thought too.
About the fuse.

That Tommy should pick-up some lotto tickets.
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vadawg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:46 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. hes actually a kiwi, :)
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proteus_lives Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:51 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. Ah, you're right.
But isn't "tommy" a general term for a soldier in the British army?

Either way, New Zealand has provided many brave soldiers for the UK.
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vadawg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:54 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. it can be used but the soldiers prefer to use other terms,
tommy is more from the WW2 generation, nowadays they refer to themselves as squaddies, jocks, taffys, kiwis, afrikanners, ozzies and then in more localised terms depending on where the regiment is raised ie scousers, geordies, highlanders etc. Its very tribal, but its been changing since they incorporated all the regiments and all but destroyed the link between the regiments and their locales.
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proteus_lives Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:57 PM
Response to Reply #7
9. Learned something new.
One of the things I love about DU! ;-)
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vadawg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 08:00 PM
Response to Reply #9
11. glad to be off service...
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DFab420 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:56 PM
Response to Original message
8. Like out of a movie or something...
It's always nice to end to day on an up note.
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Smarmie Doofus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 07:59 PM
Response to Original message
10. Brave man; dumb war.
All the real or imagined acts of bravery and sacrifice on either side will make it anything other.
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demosincebirth Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 08:05 PM
Response to Original message
12. Didn't have a choice. Sounds like a John Wayne movie
When I was a kid, I threw a cherry bomb which I held a little too long...singed my eye brows...my ears are still ringing after all these years. I know, its no comparison to a grenade.
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MadMaddie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 08:31 PM
Response to Original message
13. 10 seconds (if that is still the same from my Army boot camp training)
10 seconds from the time the pin is pulled and released.....

Not a very long time.....one lucky guy...
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demosincebirth Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-09-10 11:56 PM
Response to Reply #13
14. 6 sec.
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MadMaddie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-10-10 10:08 PM
Response to Reply #14
19. damn...that's crazy...
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comrade snarky Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-10-10 12:59 AM
Response to Original message
15. I'm not sure I could think that fast
Probably be too distracted with the shitting myself.
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vadawg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-10-10 01:03 AM
Response to Reply #15
16. its more training than thinking, but he did good.
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comrade snarky Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-10-10 01:49 AM
Response to Reply #16
17. Yep, training can keep you calm
But that was some damn fast calculation on his part.

Some people seem to have a different kind of stress reaction. During the Apollo 11 launch Neil Armstrong's heart rate never went over 109 beats per minute. About what a normal person runs when doing moderate work. Sure, a whole lot of that was due to the incredible training but I can guarantee you that with the exact same training most of us would be a lot more excited than 109. I would.

Hell, I get that before an overseas trip and I've done a pile of those. :-)
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Kaleva Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-10-10 01:57 AM
Response to Original message
18. Training allows one to act quickly without taking up time thinking about what to do.
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