I hope his hearing eventually recovered, but part of me doubts it:
Anyone ever seen something similar, or had that happen to them?
The picture is of blog reader (and recent 5.11 polo shirt & pants winner) Brent in Afghanistan. I thought it was fitting for this post.
Comments
41 responses to “RPG Surprise”
I love how the guy who was manning the RPG just kind of cheesed his way outta there after he whacked the guy behind him.
I think his hearing is the least of his worries now. At least he was facing away at the moment it went off It would suck to be deaf and blind. In related news the Blue Falcon award goes to…
Also if he’s an enemy F***EM.
I saw this posted quite a while ago, in a couple of different places, as I recall, and they were identified as Libyan rebels.
Definitely.
I love walking casually through gun fights. but who invited the guy with the Rpg?
hope he gets his hearing back???? dude might be dead from concussive forces. he might be lucky to just be alive.
odds are he did not survive the back blast
I’m no doctor but I bet dollars to doughnuts that shockwave scrambled his egg salad pretty bad. At the very least he’s probably legally retarded now, if he even recovered.
At the very least he’s probably legally retarded now
LOLHAHAHAHAHA
This is such a mess ! No wonder they get to friendly fire at each other ! This time the great failure is that the friendly fire happens between fighters who are on the same side of the street!
This one has just been caught on tape, but I’m sure there are tons of similar example with 3rd world countries’ warriors who just don’t know how to handle their gun or gear.
And I agree, if the guy is alive, he should consider himself lucky… provided he still is capable of doing so…
And these people thousands of rpg’s…
*have
He’s dead, Jabir.
But Bones, isn’t there something you can do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0yXqU-w9U0
Lol ^
He’s worse than dead……his brain is gone.
HAHAHAHAHA
Yes, LOOOOOOOOOOL
“His brain is gone!”
I hate when that happens.
God I saw something like this happen, it was hilarious. It was pretty similar to this, a bunch of military aged males up around a corner taking pot shots at us from about 150 meters. It was a relatively narrow alley and we were set up on a corner, the vehicle in front of us was engaging them with the 50 but it jammed and so we all hopped out of vehicles trying to get them when they popped around a corner, then we had a minor oh shit moment when we saw the guy with the RPG pop out.
The platoon sergeant waved everyone from his lead truck back behind the corner, we were in the only other truck in the alley and we couldn’t shoot around the lead vehicle knowing what was coming I got my gunner to get his head down out of the hatch. And then I had front row seats for one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. The platoon sergeant grabs an AT4 and pops around the corner right as the guy with the RPG does, they both go NOPE and duck back behind. This goes on for a maybe ten ridiculous seconds, them both popping in and out of cover until (and I can still see this almost in slow motion) the Iraqi stumbles as he pops into the alley, his RPG swings down and to the left and as he falls he must have squeezed the trigger because he fires the RPG right into the corner of the building he’s been sheltering in and blasts himself all the way into the middle of the street.
Then, in a moment of just breathtaking armyness, I see the platoon sergeant who had popped out at the same time, AT4 on his shoulder, who just saw this happen freeze for a second, turn half way around to look at me through the bullet proof glass like “did you just fucking see that?”. And then he shrugs , turns back around and fires the AT4 at what’s left of the guy in the street…
The guys in my truck laughed for a half an hour solid.
I saw a video of something exactly like this online that insurgents had filmed and I always wonder if it was the same guy or if this happens a lot.
I got a good laugh out of that man. Great story.
hahah best story I’ve heard in a while.
That story made this article worthwhile.
Best video on YouTube, hands down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj0v1V3M10g
You can see a hefty amount of red mist that follows the guys head down to the ground. Even if he does make it, it’s pretty likely that his face is mash potato.
My diagnosis: fatal. FYI i’m not a doctor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hewFHIYGBQw
He’s dead for sure. RPGs have a lot less backblast than other recoiless launchers, but from that close, i’m surprised it didnt turn him into mist.
I bet shit like this happens all of the time, I’m just glad I’ve now had the chance to see it!
I am seeing a message saying video not found … anyone else?
Works for me. Liveleak is kind of sketchy though.. try again in like 30 minutes and I bet you’ll be able to see it.
Ah! HA! Dead, most likely…
The propellant charge does not always burn up inside the tube and is forced rearward.
The energy forced out the rear of the tube is the equivalant to a short burst from a jet engine,
creating the thrust you see twisting the man around, and creating enough noise to deafen all of them, for some time, with those closest to the blast suffering some permanent loss.
The man’s flesh was most likely blown off his face, his facial bones shattered and his skull cracked and or crushed. If he is lucky he is dead.
“Back Blast Area Cleared?” be sure to know where you are firing at all times, front and back.
Not sure what it was, but it opened up something red on his left chest and shoulder. If that is what I think it was, he may not have made it.
God damn teamkilling noobs… Seriously, as the great Sun Tsu said “Watch the backblast, you idiot!”
This happened a lot in Arab countries.
Also, look very closely at the video. You’ll notice a flying object going up and to the left past the hapless man’s head. That was likely the endcap of the RPG’s propellant striking the unlucky man.
Best case scenario, he survives with a massive skull fracture.
Worst case scenario? Fatal.
na best case scenario : fatal
Best case scenario is always a miraculous, complete, and speedy recovery against all odds (I’ve even seen it happen, once).
However, there’s a *lot* of scenarios worse than “Instantly fatal” when brain injuries are involved, and a lot of scenarios that are only marginally better.
A miraculous, complete, and speedy recovery against all odds may be the best case scenario in his point of view, but as far as i’m concerned if its fatal that’s one less person shooting at me.
THAT is what happens when the backblast area” is NOT all clear!
And karmas’ a bitch!
That’s the type of shit where it get’s framed as an innocent man was killed by coalition forces while he was walking to the grocery store. Ummmmm nope.
BACK BLAST AREA ALL CLEAR!! PSYYYCH!
I am vaguely reminded of a quote from one of my sci-fi books in the “Hammer’s Slammers” series, by author David Drake. I can’t remember which book, but it goes ‘something’ like this:
“Um, Captain? I changed my mind. Let’s back off for a couple days and let the bloody wogs get all this wild shooting out of their system, and then get the professionals back to work.”
That’s not a verbatim quote, but it sure sums up what I felt when I saw the vid clip.
On the up side, though, this clip should be required viewing for any regular troops required to work with 3rd world irregulars; the lecture should start with, “Now THIS is why you stay away from the yo-yo carrying the RPG!!”