mojaveman
03-09-2009, 00:51
The following story was told to me by an old Master Sergeant when I was a kid in 5th Group about 25 years ago.
Back in the prehistoric days of SF he and a team from 10th Group were undergoing Winter training way up in Alaska at Ft. Richardson. He said the wind was howling that day and they were trying to stay warm in the sub zero temperature. After a long day of snowshoeing they finally reached their objective and set up camp. One of the guys on the team pulled out a pint of 100 proof Bourbon from his rucksack and took a long swig. He immediately gaged, coughed, and threw the bottle down. A short time later he began having difficulty breathing and collapsed. The team medic tried to revive him but after he was unsuccessful they called a dustoff and had him evacuated back to the hospital on main post. The team member died the next day.
Now, what happened? Alcohol doesn't freeze until it reaches a temperature of about -170 degrees fahrenheit. Fluids when consumed at extreme sub zero temperatures can cause severe inflammation and swelling of the mouth, larynx, esophagus and the stomach.
Ok, some of you 18Ds may want to verify the accuracy of this information but if the story is true then it's the first time in the history of SF that someone drank themself to death on one shot of Whiskey.
Back in the prehistoric days of SF he and a team from 10th Group were undergoing Winter training way up in Alaska at Ft. Richardson. He said the wind was howling that day and they were trying to stay warm in the sub zero temperature. After a long day of snowshoeing they finally reached their objective and set up camp. One of the guys on the team pulled out a pint of 100 proof Bourbon from his rucksack and took a long swig. He immediately gaged, coughed, and threw the bottle down. A short time later he began having difficulty breathing and collapsed. The team medic tried to revive him but after he was unsuccessful they called a dustoff and had him evacuated back to the hospital on main post. The team member died the next day.
Now, what happened? Alcohol doesn't freeze until it reaches a temperature of about -170 degrees fahrenheit. Fluids when consumed at extreme sub zero temperatures can cause severe inflammation and swelling of the mouth, larynx, esophagus and the stomach.
Ok, some of you 18Ds may want to verify the accuracy of this information but if the story is true then it's the first time in the history of SF that someone drank themself to death on one shot of Whiskey.