The Power Of God; Angels, Miracles and Heroes

This is a story about courage, about honor, about commitment, it's about your military, our military. It is a true story. Do you believe angels live among us on this earth? Do you believe in miracles? Perhaps you will after you read this story...

A documentary was aired on the Military Channel a while back. It was about a military convoy in Afghanistan that was ambushed. One Humvee was hit by an RPG. The rocket - approximately two to three feet long - lost a portion of it's warhead, pierced the door of the Humvee, entered the body of one of the soldiers in the Humvee through his pelvic area, and lodged in his leg. But it didn't explode. Now picture that before you continue.

With every military convoy sent out on a mission, a medic is assigned to accompany them. After this attack, the medic, who normally travels towards the rear of the convoy, was called up to see what could be done to attend the wound this soldier received. When the medic (just a young kid really) arrived, , it took him a few seconds to wrap his mind around what his eyes were seeing - a live RPG embedded in, and protruding from, the leg of this young soldier. The immediate reaction was to get as many soldiers away from the  area as possible in case the warhead exploded, and then to assess the actions that were required, if any, to aid the stricken soldier. It's my understanding that according to the field manual, in situations like the one explained here ..... well let's just say that the unit may not have followed the field manual instructions exactly.
The injured soldier was awake and oriented. And although their fellow soldier was now considered "a live explosive" he was their "brother". So slowly, ever so gingerly, they extricated him from the Humvee, all the while knowing the rocket could explode.

After discussion with his fellow soldiers, the medic called for a medivac helicopter.  They all decided they would accept the repercussions that came with their decision, if any, but that they could not leave their wounded buddy behind.

The medic called for the chopper, alerting it only that they had a wounded soldier who was hit by a rocket. Obviously the medivac chopper hit the skies. When the chopper requested the squad's position, it was provided but with allowance for distance away from their "live explosive".

Once the chopper was down,  the medic informed the pilot that there was more to the story than he had been told. The medic then explained the condition of the fallen soldier. The two men walked toward the injured soldier. The chopper pilot discussed the situation with his crew and all agreed they would attempt to fly the wounded soldier out for treatment. The captain looked at each crew member in turn, and each of them unerringly stared back.They placed their lives in God's hands.

Gingerly they got the injured soldier aboard the chopper, and eased it into the air. Back towards the base they flew. While in the air they contacted the base and informed them that they had a wounded soldier who had been hit by a rocket.
The chopper arrived and lightly touched down. The pilot dismounted once again and approached the surgeon, a Major. The pilot informed the doctor that the wounded soldier was alive, awake and oriented, with a live rocket lodged in his leg.
The doctor informed his staff what the situation was. He explained that he had decided he would attempt to remove the RPG from the wounded soldier  but that he did not expect any of his staff to put their lives in any more danger than that in which they had already been placed. He told them all that he would not think any less of them if they left. Astonishingly, once again, not one member of his team made a move to leave.

During surgery there was minimal talking. It was as if every member of the team intuitively knew what the other needed or wanted. Eventually, through the skill of the surgeon and his team, the rocket, still with a partial live warhead intact, was removed from the soldiers leg. Now what to do with it?

At some point during this whole process, the bomb tech was informed by the surgeon of the situation and had stationed himself inside the operating room.
Apparently, a some distance away was a drop off. They intended to throw the rocket over the edge to get rid of it. It was "the long brown mile" as they walked towards the cliff.  The RPG was tossed ... and exploded!
So tell me, do you believe in angels? Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in heroes? Do you believe in God? The Humvee door, the stricken soldier, the convoy squad, the chopper unit, the medical team, the bomb tech. At any time that RPGcould have been jarred sufficiently to cause it to explode. But it didn't. It didn't explode until it was safely into the pit in which it was thrown. I believe...

The story is about Channing Moss, who was impaled by a live RPG during a Taliban ambush while on patrol. Army protocol says that medivac choppers are never to carry anyone with a live round in him. Even though they feared it could explode, the flight crew said damn the protocol and flew him to the nearest aid station. Again, protocol said that in such a case the patient is to be put in a sandbagged area away from the surgical unit, given a shot of morphine and left to wait (and die) until others are treated. Again, the medical team ignored the protocol. Here's a short video put together by the Military Times, which includes actual footage of the surgery where Dr. John Oh, a Korean immigrant who became a naturalized citizen and went to West Point , removed the live round with the help of volunteers and a member of the EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) team. Moss has undergone six operations but is doing well at home in Gainesville , GA. I think you'll find the video absolutely remarkable.




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