Double Dumb Stuff

[Pete]

Well now, engineers can go on and on explaining the difference between bank dirt, loose dirt and compacted dirt and just why it's important to know what you're dealing with.

But then again, they can disconnect their brain housing group and come up with some real stupid ideas.

The following took place back when I was much younger. Way back when Ft Irwin was a bunch of old buildings and not yet the NTC.

Our company was deployed to Ft Irwin for training and some of the teams had reported to the commander and SGM that they were having problems with the simulators they were using for training. We had a bunch of the training flares, whistlers and bangers. The teams said that the whistlers were going off as bangers.

The SGM, having great trust in my abilities, gave me a bunch of boxes of each and asked me to check them out. I employed my deductive reasoning and decided to cut to the chase. I took out a whistler, put on a pair of work gloves, took the whistler in my left hand and pulled the string with my right hand.. "BANG".

That little sucker was a banger. It blew open the thumb of my glove and my thumb was completely numb. I took the glove off and danced around a bit as I tried to suck the thumb and keep it over my head all at the same time. The feeling was starting to come back with a fury and that sucker hurt.

Of course this gave me another chance to highlight my intelligence. I immediately took off in search of my team medic. "Hey Doc. look at this". Of course he wanted a full explaination of how my thumb came to be in that state and by this time the medics from the other teams gathered around the two of us.

My thumb had now swollen up tight as a drum and was a dark purple all the way back to the hand. My medic had my hand and was turning it around as he conversed with his peers. They had quite the medical discussion going and I was having a hard time looking over their shoulders to see my hand.

They finally decided that they would drill through the nail with a red hot paper clip. A grasshopper stove, some pliers and a paper clip were quickly produced. They started in on the nail and I could smell something burning but I was still having a hard time getting a look at what they were doing. I finally felt a sharp pain as they all said "Cooool". With the exictment over the other medics wandered off and I could get a good look at my thumb as my medic cleaned it up. It was still deep purple and hurt but seemed to be a little smaller. Blood still oozed from the hole and would continue for the next few days.

It took that hole a great long time to work itself off the end of my thumbnail. I did a bunch of reflection during that time also.

Pete
This was also the trip of the "Great Jackrabbit Bar-B-Que". You'll have to read that story in the next "Tales from the Teamhouse" book

Anybody out there that can top this one?.

[CPTAUSRET]

Pete:

Can't top it, but enjoyed reading it.

Terry

[vsvo]

I enjoyed it as well! Thanks Pete.

[Trip_Wire (RIP)]

As an 18C I really got a 'kick' out of that story! I can't top it!

I might share some Dumb A** stories from my LEO Bomb Technician days, in the future though!

[QRQ 30]

Pete: I was just wondering.In '69 and '70 several 12b's from Ft. Bragg were allowed by the Dep. of the Interior to blow several bridges which were due to be inundated by various dams. It was a rare occasion when they could really blow live targets. Were you involved in any of that? Anyone else?

[Pete]

Originally Posted by QRQ 30

It was a rare occasion when they could really blow live targets. Were you involved in any of that? Anyone else?

Those bridges were before my time. I did get to do a wood bridge during either a Bold Eagle or Solid Shield one year in the late 70s. It was a straight DA mission with no guards but (for the FTX) a quick reaction force. The Air Force 53 was to rocket us into the area, land behind a tree line and wait on the ground as we ran to the target, set the charges, wired it up, set off the charges and then run like hell back to the chopper and get out of Dodge.

Everything went as planned except the air crew had never seen a bridge blown so they wanted to watch. We jumped down into a ditch and the guys saw the chopper lift up over the top of the trees just as I turned the crank. WHAM, the charges went off. We took a quick look at the bridge, ran back to the chopper, which was now on the ground, and we got in.

Man, that was one pissed of air crew. Nobody told them what or how much we were taking in to do the mission with. The crew chief was raising hell with the team while I just patted my demo bag and leaned back in my seat with a smile .

Pete

[Team Sergeant]

LOL that was a good story!