Marine Sgt. Takes Sniper Round To The Head; Smokes A Cigarette 15 Minutes Later

[The Straight Story]

Marine Sgt. Takes Sniper Round To The Head; Smokes A Cigarette 15 Minutes Later

Remarkable. That’s the only word for this story. His buddies have now nick-named him “Headshot.” From the Marine Corps Times:

“Manning the top of a compound south of Sangin, Afghanistan, Sgt. Paul Boothroyd III took a sniper round to the head. He landed face down onto the muddy roof with a thud.

Fifteen minutes later, Boothroyd was bandaged, smiling, smoking a cigarette and giving the “thumbs up” as he waited for the medevac helicopter, to which he walked under his own power.

It’s a “you-gotta-be-kidding-me” story that earned Boothroyd, a signals intelligence operator with 2nd Radio Battalion, a new call sign from his team members: Headshot.



http://bigpeace.com/pschweizer/2011/04/05/marine-sgt-takes-sniper-round-to-the-head-smokes-a-cigarette-15-minutes-later/

They should ban smoking in the military, it's not good for them :rofl:

[leftstreet]

1. Did he smoke before?

:P

[Buzz Clik]

5. badda bing!

[Archae]

2. Guy my Dad knew in Korea had that happen.

Took a bullet in the head that bounced off, he ended up being called "Skillethead." :-)

[gateley]

3. Semper Fi! nt

[cliffordu]

4. .......

:wow:

[onehandle]

6. Good for him. I hope to see Gabby smoking the hides of Republicans not too long from now. nt

[Liberal Veteran]

7. I might do the same, even though I quit smoking.

That's a good reason to fall off the wagon right there.

[The Straight Story]

8. I'd wash it down with some Vodka :) (nt)

[donco]

9. Sigh…think of the bucks he

could make if we still had Marlboro commercials on the tube.

[Cid_B]

10. Good story...

Wonder if they got the sniper... Hope so...

[Bunny]

11. I think they should outlaw smoking in a war zone.

[Tejas]

21. Do you smoke? Been in the military? Please qualify your DWTS opinion.

[Bunny]

22. Yeah, I smoke four packs a day and did two tours in Nam.

Here's some footage of me and my unit taking out a village:



Okay with you?

PS - DWTS opinion? What does Dancing With The Stars have to do with this? :shrug:

[DCKit]

23. Jeebus, light up, already.

Can you really justify being nasty to anyone for not getting OUR addiction?

Many of us (addicted to nicotine) are just as quick and smart, but we do own that particular deficit.

[spanone]

12. 'if the bullets don't get me, the ciggies will'

[DCKit]

13. I can't even quuantify how far/off this post is. Will check back later.

[Control-Z]

14. Seriously, huh? n/t

[DCKit]

24. OK, somewhat better now....

This is not over for him, or his family.

I was the recipient of a brain injury at the age of nine. I had to decide (at 13) to stop being irrational, angry and violent. It took another twenty years to really sink in.

My younger brother was shot in the head nearly ten years ago, and (because of my own experience) I was way too hard on him. Three years ago, he committed suicide, in order to better provide for his family.

This story is presented in the most simplistic form possible, and the whole story is yet to be told. The repercussions are not even implied.

[Maru Kitteh]

30. The OP would prefer you didn't mention reality and instead concentrate on his right to smoke

It just the modus operandi. "Nuttin' new.

[tinrobot]

15. This picture brought to you by Phillip Morris.

[Hugabear]

16. This story sure seems to have gone viral

Did a quick Google search for "Sgt. Paul Boothroyd III" and there are a shitload of pages detailing this story. Something ain't smelling right on by BS-meter

[Bluebear]

18. indeedy

[Cid_B]

19. What specifically....

sounds off to you?

[DCKit]

26. Damn straight..... stinky links.

Our (shared) dog, his wife, child and family dispute this argument.

He was a person of interest.

[Bluebear]

29. !

[Jack Sprat]

17. I know a Nam vet who has a plate

in his skull from a headwound, but I think these cases are more the exception than the rule. I know many, many more die from headshots than live. Just glad his was not one that blew part of his head off.

[pokerfan]

20. Reminds me of the Bella Ambush

as told by Sebastian Junger...

Kalenits was shot in the pelvis during what has come to be known as the Bella Ambush. Bella was one of the firebases operated by Chosen Company in the Waygal Valley. In early November, fourteen Chosen soldiers, twelve Afghan soldiers, a Marine, and an Afghan interpreter walked to the nearby village of Aranas, met with elders, and then started to walk back. It was a setup. The enemy had built sandbagged positions in a 360-degree circle around a portion of the trail where there was no cover and the only escape was to jump off a cliff. By some miracle, Chosen held them off. Six Americans and eight Afghans were killed and everyone else was wounded. An American patrol hasn't taken 100 percent casualties in a firefight since Vietnam.

We turn into Walter Reed Army Medical Center and park in front of Abrams Hall, where Kalenits lives. We find him in his room smoking and watching television in the dark. His blinds are down and cigarette smoke swirls in the slats of light that come through. I ask Kalenits when was the first moment he realized he was in an ambush, and he says it was when the helmet was shot off his head. Almost immediately he was hit three times in the chest, twice in the back, and then watched his best friend take a round through the forehead that emptied out the back of his head. Kalenits says that when he saw that he just "went into awe."

There were so many muzzle flashes around them that the hills looked like they were strung with Christmas lights. The rounds that hit Kalenits were stopped by ballistic plates in his vest, but one finally hit him in the left buttock. It shattered his pelvis and tore up his intestines and exited through his thigh. Kalenits was sure it had severed an artery, and he gave himself three minutes to live. He spotted an enemy machine-gun team moving into position on a nearby hill and shot at them. He saw the men fall. He went through all of his ammunition except for one magazine that he saved for when the enemy came through on foot to finish everyone off.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/war-sebastian-junger/story?id=10604181

[DCKit]

25. What you said. Really, I'm still going through it, and my brother died from it.

There is no end to brain damage.

[Paradoxical]

27. Likely 7.62 mm round. He's lucky his head literally didn't explode.

Very lucky guy.

[LooseWilly]

28. I'm impressed... when I tried to smoke after getting a few stitches I was horizontal after 2 drags..

and the stitched up, formerly gaping wound, was my leg—not my head... and it was still numb with local anaesthetic.

Sure, I'd walked (well, limped) a dozen-plus blocks... but I felt fine, until I lit that cigarette. Holy shit... it was like the first one I'd ever smoked all over again... nausea, dizzy spins, seeing stars... but four-fold as ass-kicking...

I think I managed a third drag before I had to just toss the cigarette.

This motherfucker's smoking after a headwound, and he can still feel his arms enough to throw a thumbs-up?... :thumbsup:

I needed another hour before I dared try to smoke again...