“I Saw My Death Coming” MrBallen’s Insane Story Of Getting Hit By A Grenade

Summary

The transcript recounts a Navy SEAL's firsthand experience during a deployment in Afghanistan. He describes the intense training, the reality of combat, and the surreal moment of being hit by a grenade, which felt like rocks being thrown at him. The SEAL details the tactical operations, the camaraderie, and the high-stakes decisions made under fire. He also shares the aftermath of his injury, the medical evacuation, and the emotional impact of surviving a life-threatening event. The narrative offers a glimpse into the mindset and resilience of a soldier and the brotherhood within the SEAL teams.

Takeaways

• 🎖️ The speaker served as a Navy SEAL for seven years, completing two deployments with the shortest possible tour for SEALs, which is longer than the standard enlistment period due to the extensive training involved.
• 🏹 The SEAL's first deployment was to Afghanistan, where the team experienced intense combat situations, including frequent gunfights, which were part of their extensive training and preparation.
• 🏞️ The environment in Afghanistan, particularly the base called FOB Shank and the village of Zargar, was described as chaotic yet beautiful, with a stark contrast to the SEAL's normal life.
• 🌟 Witnessing teammates in action during combat was a standout moment for the speaker, highlighting the effectiveness of SEAL training and the high level of coordination and preparedness among team members.
• 💥 The speaker was injured by a grenade thrown by enemy combatants during a mission in Zargar, which led to a medical evacuation and the end of his deployment.
• 🚁 After the injury, the team called in a danger close air strike to neutralize the immediate threat, illustrating the high-stress decisions made under extreme circumstances.
• 🗺️ The mission in Zargar involved navigating a complex urban environment with many dead ends and IED threats, requiring careful and strategic movement.
• 🔄 The speaker's experience with the grenade was initially one of relief as he hoped the blast would be below his head, showing a rational thought process in a life-threatening situation.
• 🩹 The immediate aftermath of the grenade explosion was described as painless, with the realization of injury and the onset of pain happening days later during recovery.
• 🤝 A significant emotional impact came from the delayed conversation with the medic who saved his life, which only occurred four years after the event, indicating the psychological challenges faced by service members post-combat.

Q & A

What was the narrator's experience when hit by a grenade?

The narrator described the feeling as if rocks were being thrown at him, and he was medically evacuated from Afghanistan due to the injury.

How long was the narrator's service in the Navy SEALs?

The narrator served for seven years, which is the minimum time for SEALs due to the extensive training required.

What was the narrator's first deployment like?

The first deployment was to Afghanistan, where the narrator experienced gunfights and the reality of war, which was both terrifying and what he had expected.

What was the narrator's initial impression of Forward Operating Base Shank?

The narrator found FOB Shank to be filled with military activity, with planes, vehicles, and a sense of constant movement, which was intense and different from his normal life.

How did the narrator describe the experience of flying into Afghanistan?

The flight was initially relaxed, but as they entered Afghan airspace, the atmosphere became tense with the pilot instructing passengers to stay away from windows and a quick descent to avoid lingering at medium altitude.

What was the primary mission of the narrator's unit in Afghanistan?

The unit's mission was to find and stop suicide bombers destined for Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan.

Can you describe the environment of Zargar, the village the narrator visited?

Zargar was an urban environment in Afghanistan with mud huts built on top of each other, creating many opportunities for dead ends and hidden threats, including IEDs and fighters.

What happened during the firefight in Zargar on April 19th, 2014?

The narrator and his team engaged in a long firefight with militants in Zargar, which resulted in several casualties and a tense situation that lasted for hours.

How did the narrator's encounter with a grenade unfold during the firefight?

The narrator's team unexpectedly came across a group of militants holding grenades. In the ensuing close-quarters gunfight, the militants threw grenades over a wall, one of which hit the narrator's shoulder and exploded near him.

What was the immediate aftermath of the grenade explosion for the narrator?

The narrator felt shrapnel hit him in the back and legs, but he did not feel immediate pain. He was then dragged to safety by his team, where a medic applied tourniquets to his legs.

How did the narrator's perception of the event change after speaking with his medic four years later?

The narrator discovered that his memory of the event was not entirely accurate, and the actual sequence of events was clarified through the conversation with the medic who saved his life.

What was the narrator's emotional response to watching the drone footage of the incident?

The narrator felt a sense of relief and was glad that there was a record of the event for posterity, despite the grainy and unclear nature of the footage.

How did the narrator's experience in Afghanistan affect him upon returning home?

The narrator was not prepared to talk about the specifics of what happened and avoided discussing the incident with his medic for several years after returning home.

Outlines

00:00

🎖️ Navy SEAL's Afghanistan Deployment Experience

The speaker, a former Navy SEAL, recounts his experience in Afghanistan. Serving for seven years, he completed two deployments, with the first being combat-oriented. He describes his unit's mission to prevent suicide bombers from reaching Kabul and the intense training that SEALs undergo. The narrative includes his first encounter with combat, the surreal experience of arriving at a military base, and the reality of warfare. He emphasizes the well-coordinated teamwork and the high level of training among SEALs, which instilled a sense of invincibility, while also acknowledging the dangers of complacency.

05:01

🏹 Operation in Zargar: Urban Challenges and Ambush

The SEAL team's mission in Zargar involved locating and stopping suicide bombers before they could reach Kabul. Zargar, a city with a complex urban layout, presented numerous tactical challenges, including dead ends and IEDs. The city was heavily contested, with insurgents openly carrying weapons. The speaker's team engaged in a firefight that lasted for hours, resulting in several casualties. The operation was marked by frustration due to the enemy's ability to disappear into tunnels beneath the city, highlighting the difficulties of urban warfare and the resilience of the insurgents.

10:02

💥 Close Encounter with Grenade Attack

During a mission in Zargar, the speaker's team unexpectedly encountered a group of insurgents at close range. The situation escalated quickly, leading to a close-quarters gunfight. The insurgents, anticipating discovery, were holding grenades with pins pulled, ready to detonate. Upon engagement, they threw the grenades over a wall. The speaker vividly describes the moment a grenade was thrown towards him, the fear and rational thoughts that crossed his mind, and the surreal experience of time slowing down as he braced for impact.

15:03

🚑 Surviving a Grenade Explosion and Aftermath

The grenade that was thrown hit the speaker's shoulder and fell to the ground, where it detonated. He describes the sensation of the explosion as similar to being hit by rocks, with shrapnel piercing his body. Despite the severity of the situation, he initially felt no pain, only shock. The immediate response from his team, including a medic who applied tourniquets, saved his life. The chaos of the battle continued as they called in a danger-close airstrike to neutralize the remaining threat. The speaker's recollection of these events was later corrected by the medic who saved him, revealing a different sequence of events than what he remembered.

20:04

🛒 Recovery and Reflection on Battlefield Experience

After being medically evacuated, the speaker underwent treatment and recovery. He experienced no immediate pain from his injuries, but the pain set in days later. The physical recovery was a process that took him from a medical tent in Afghanistan to Germany and eventually back home. Upon returning, he found himself avoiding discussions about the incident with his medic, who had saved his life. It wasn't until four years later that they spoke about the event, revealing a different perspective on what had transpired. The speaker also discusses the psychological impact of the experience and the difficulty of adjusting to civilian life after such a traumatic event.

Keywords

💡Grenade

A grenade is an explosive device typically thrown by hand. In the video's theme, the grenade is a central element of the veteran's experience, symbolizing the immediate and life-altering danger faced in combat. The script describes the moment a grenade is thrown at the speaker, highlighting the split-second decisions and life-threatening situations that define military service in a war zone.

💡Navy SEALs

Navy SEALs are the United States Navy's primary special operations force. The term is integral to understanding the video's content as it sets the context of rigorous training and elite combat experience. The script mentions the SEALs' extended service contract and the intense preparation required for their deployments, emphasizing the commitment and dedication demanded of these servicemen.

💡Medical Evacuation

Medical evacuation refers to the immediate transportation of a wounded person to a medical facility for treatment. In the video, the term is used to describe the speaker's removal from Afghanistan after being injured by a grenade, illustrating the harsh realities of combat and the urgency required to save lives in such situations.

💡Deployment

A deployment in military terms is the act of sending military personnel and resources to a foreign country or region for a specific mission. The script details the speaker's experience during his deployment to Afghanistan, which is central to the narrative of his service and the challenges faced by military personnel in a combat zone.

💡Combat Tour

A combat tour is a period of military service in a war zone. The video's theme revolves around the speaker's first combat tour in Afghanistan, which provides insight into the realities of war, the psychological impact on soldiers, and the bonds formed under extreme circumstances.

💡Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shank

A forward operating base, or FOB, is a secured military base used to support tactical operations in a combat zone. FOB Shank is mentioned in the script as the location where the speaker was stationed, providing context to the environment and conditions under which he served, and highlighting the strategic importance of such bases in military operations.

💡Suicide Bombers

Suicide bombers are individuals who intentionally detonate explosives, typically concealed on their person, to cause mass casualties. The script discusses the mission to find and stop suicide bombers destined for Kabul, underlining the specific threats faced by military personnel in Afghanistan and the high-stakes nature of their operations.

💡Zargar

Zargar is a village in Afghanistan mentioned in the script as a location where the speaker's unit encountered intense combat. The village is depicted as a hostile environment filled with IEDs and fighters, illustrating the complex and dangerous nature of urban warfare in Afghanistan.

💡Rules of Engagement (ROE)

Rules of Engagement are the directives that dictate when, how, and to what degree force can be used in a military situation. The script refers to ROE to explain the constraints under which soldiers operate, emphasizing the need for identifying a weapon and being shot at before returning fire, which adds a layer of complexity and risk to their missions.

💡Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded to those who have been wounded or killed while serving in the military. In the video, the Purple Heart is mentioned as a tangible reminder of the sacrifices made by soldiers, with several members of the speaker's platoon receiving this honor during their deployment.

💡Tourniquets

A tourniquet is a device used to control bleeding by applying pressure to a limb or extremity. In the context of the video, tourniquets were used by the speaker's medic to save his life after he was injured by a grenade, demonstrating the life-saving importance of quick medical intervention in combat situations.

Highlights

Experience of getting hit by a grenade felt like rocks being thrown at the individual.

Medical evacuation from Afghanistan after serving two deployments in the Navy SEALs.

Minimum service time in SEALs is seven years due to extensive training requirements.

First combat tour in Afghanistan involved intense gunfights and adapting to a war zone environment.

Training and preparation allowed for effective teamwork and calm responses during combat.

Witnessing the effectiveness of SEAL training in real combat situations.

The feeling of invincibility on the battlefield and the need to remain vigilant against complacency.

Mission in Afghanistan was to prevent suicide bombers from reaching Kabul.

Challenges of urban warfare in Zargar, Afghanistan, including complex architecture and IEDs.

Engagement with enemy combatants in close quarters and the decision-making process during a firefight.

Surviving a grenade attack with thoughts of family and the rationality of near-death experiences.

Physical sensations and immediate aftermath of a grenade detonation.

Miscommunication and the reality of a combat injury versus initial perceptions.

Recovery process and the psychological impact of returning home from deployment.

Four-year gap before debriefing with the medic who saved his life, highlighting the trauma of the experience.

Watching a drone recording of the combat situation and the emotional response to seeing one's own danger.

Shopify advertisement and its features for e-commerce businesses.

Transcripts

what's it feel like to get hit by a

grenade it feels like rocks being thrown

at you at least that was my experience I

uh yeah so I I I was medically evacuated

from Afghanistan so I I um I did two

deployments which in in the world of

Navy SEALs I did the shortest tour you

could do meaning my my time in service

was seven years and for seals you have

to sign a contract that's longer than

the traditional four most people when

they enlist it's a four-year deal for

the seals because the training takes so

long you basically add these three years

on top I think mine was a little bit

longer so I served the minimum and I say

this because there invariably are going

to be very senior Navy Seals that listen

to this and are going to judge what I

say here um but I I deployed the minimum

I did one combat tour and that was the

first tour I did and that was to

Afghanistan uh and you know I we we

definitely got into gunfights it was in

many ways it was it was actually what I

thought it would be like a lot of it was

you know we you go through so much

training so much prep and you get

overseas and it's like you're terrified

it it looks like War you know and I I'm

half smiling here because it's like the

it's so weird when you first get there

it's so different from from your normal

life does this make you feel like you're

kind of back there you know this

actually looks similar to fob shank

which is so we landed at this this Base

called forward operating base shank

right in the middle of I think logar

Province and Afghanistan and it's it's

this I mean it's just this obvious

military stuff everywhere planes and

vehicles and all around little buds

everything's moving the stuff happening

it's crazy like when we came actually my

my entry to Afghanistan when I knew like

oh oh it's getting real is we flew

from Virginia to Germany and then we

stayed there for a couple of days and

then we flew from Germany to Afghanistan

and it's this eight- hour flight and for

the majority of it you're in a military

transport so you're not this is not a

civilian craft valy of the Beast with a

little bench seat and it's so loud and

there's all this equipment in the middle

of of the floor um but it's it's relaxed

we've taken military flights dozens

times you just hang out with your

buddies you can walk around but when we

got into Afghanistan airspace the pilot

had to put on uh red light on the on the

aircraft even though we're way above

Small Arms range and frankly even RPG

range or rocket Lun uh it's harder to

see at a distance uh you know white

light stands

out but he was like the pilot came on

and okay we're in Afghan airspace so you

know don't go near the windows although

the idea that if if they're shooting up

at the plane we're in a bad spot no

matter where it hits but like stay away

from the windows the red light came on

and then we did this really intense very

quick descent because you don't want to

linger too too long at a medium altitude

yeah and it's like I noticed how intense

The Landing was and then we get out and

it's it's winter time and I'm so green

I've never done anything I've only

trained and I'm looking around it really

looked like this but just mountains

everywhere it was actually so beautiful

uh which is weird because it's this

really kind of dangerous place for for

people like for me um but yeah no it so

I was there and it was was in many ways

what I expected I I um when shooting

starts you know the thing that stood out

to me because I I when you get hurt you

have to debrief how it went and I told

my commander that the debrief point that

stood out the most to me about my entire

experience in Afghanistan was when the

rounds started flying uh meaning when

people began shooting at us it was so

incredible to see your teammates just do

their job because the thing about SE

SEAL Teams and and operating in a

special operations unit

so much of what you're doing is is

choreographed with everybody else you

don't have just like random things

happening everything is just you're

working in tandem all the time

everything is done with a buddy or with

small teams and just seeing in this like

crazy moment where like gun fires coming

in and you're looking at your teammates

and your teammates are so well trained

that you just see this look of not calm

it isn't like they're like superheroes I

mean it'sa it's chaos but you're seeing

what millions and millions and millions

of dollars in very specialized training

looks like in real time and for a second

especially when you know we get into a

gunfight you you'd see that in motion

and it's for lack of a better

description it's beautiful we are

unstoppable on the battlefield it's it's

the idea that there are people that are

walking around in sandals in AK-47s up

against this team it just seemed

unbelievably W it's it's like no wonder

the seals have the reputation they do

and I'm not talking from like how cool I

am it's the other seals I saw that was

like holy like this is an intense

level of

training so uh the confidence level is

really high especially as the deployment

went on you know we were just we were

going out a fair amount you know what

that means you feel Invincible with the

guys around you in some way and and

that's actually something you need to

keep in in the back of your mind that

you're not I am not Invincible yeah that

the complacency kills uh and I actually

yeah there's definitely an element of

that that invincibility thing and also

most of us are in our early 20s you know

we're in the pr of Our Lives you can see

how that would happen um but anyway so

the the grenade about 5 months into the

deployment we we were going into this uh

this Village called zargar uh it's the

the general Mission set that we had in

Afghanistan was our our unit was we were

tapped with trying to find suicide

bombers who were destined for Kabul the

big city in Afghanistan and stopping

them or limiting you know their

effectiveness before they got there

because we were actually positioned on

like the one paved Road in Afghanistan

called route Utah kind of splits the

whole country in half and it went right

to Kabul and and we were deployed to

this little out station that was right

up alongside route Utah and this is not

a base it didn't look like this it was a

couple Hesco barriers and some tents

like a very miniature version of this

and it was our job to stem the tide of

these suicide bombers and across the

street from Route Utah was this city if

you will called zargar and so in

Afghanistan it's you know mud Huts it's

not sophisticated architecture at all I

mean some places there is but where we

were it's like you're out in the sticks

and it's mud huts and very simple but

zargar it was mud Huts but they were

built on top of each other I mean it's

it's like the closest thing to an urban

environment as you're going to get

outside of like a Kabul I mean this is

urban Afghanistan and what that meant

was when you went into zargar it was

just there was so many opportunities to

get stuck on dead ends to have corners

where you can't see around and it was

covered in IEDs it was covered or there

was Fighters everywhere I mean this is a

highly contested place because it's

actually where a lot of these suicide

bombers would be kept before carrying on

to uh

Kabul and the thing about zargar is you

would literally look into this town from

you know thousand meters away we'd drive

around it and look in and in other parts

of Afghanistan Fighters do not want to

be recognized as Fighters they'll be

targeted and killed by NATO m these

fighters in zargar are openly carrying

their AK-47s and patrolling the streets

they they they know that that this is a

target this place and their job is yeah

I'm a fighter and I'm protecting the

people in the in the city from NATO and

so we would go in and it was like an

obvious gunfight is going to occur

that's why we're going in and so on just

before uh Easter on uh in 2014 I think

it was was April 19th I think that's

right before Easter April 19th 2014 we

went into zargar we got into what would

amount to be a pretty long drawn out but

not the whole time like sporadic gunfire

for like 6

hours we uh our partner Force so the

Afghans that we worked with that went

out the door with us a couple of them

got wounded they got shot our dog got

shot but everybody lived but there was

like you casualties along the way and

you know we're deep into our deployment

it's a six-month long deployment this is

5 months in it's it was the fighting

season so it's the springtime there's

much more action if you will and you

know we were pretty experienced I would

guess for this deployment we were hungry

and it was just very frustrating this

particular day that we kept getting shot

up and then they disappear it was like

just over because they had these tunnels

you know that ran underneath the city

that they could escape and again it's

like imagine being in a city that you

don't know there's loads of places that

people can can escape and so by the end

of the night when basically we had

gotten shot up a whole bunch and didn't

do a whole lot of shooting back you know

we did but not

effectively we were just kind of angry I

guess I would say like frustrated like

we're kind of getting our asses kicked

what's going on there's obviously

Fighters still here because we're still

getting pot shots and um at some point a

a drone overhead one of ours an unmanned

uh aerial vehicle spotted a group of

what we call Ms so military age males

that were crouched down by this wall

kind of near where we would eventually

exfill when we left sarens and so there

was some consideration that they could

be setting up an IED or they could be

getting ready to shoot at us when we

leave so there's some threat with these

these people but given the Rules of

Engagement you can't just okay I'm G to

go over there and just start shooting

you can't do that you need to go see

what's going on you have to identify a

weapon and realistically at the time you

need to get shot at first so our fire

team that I was a part of which is a

group of Seven Seals or six seals and a

couple partner force uh we happened to

be physically closest at the time when

this Intel came came out that hey

there's these Ms over here and so our I

was not in charge I'm just a typical new

guy Gunner our our leader uh said let's

just go and see what's going on like

just get eyes on these Ms and see see

what they're doing it wasn't let's go

over there and get into something it was

let's just go see and so it's gnarly

what ends up happening because it didn't

go the way we expected we um we end up

walking down this Alleyway where we were

anticipating that we would walk down

this alleyway this narrow little

Alleyway with walls on other side of us

and we would get to this wall like right

ahead of you almost like a te

intersection and so you walk down this

this wall or this this hallway and you

reach this te and our expectation was

this wall right here that we're walking

towards is like 6 feet high 7t high so

not that tall you can kind of look over

it that we would be able to look over

this wall and there's a whole field that

extended Beyond it and on the other side

of the field where there is another wall

like you know 100 meters away they were

kind of crouched up against that wall so

all you need to know is we're expecting

we're going to go to a wall we're going

to look over it and about 100 meters

away on the other side of the field is

going to be these

M we walk down the alleyway we get to

the wall we look over the wall and

they're not on that side of the field

they're right here they're literally

less than a foot away from us they're

Crouch town and they didn't hear us

because you know we were quiet making

our way down the the the

alleyway and it's one of those things

where it's our team lead had to do

something we had to be effectively

ProActive at this point because the risk

that we all intuitively understood here

is best case frankly would have been to

get out of there like this is not the

way we want to engage with these people

it's way too close way too much risk

here back out like it's silly to engage

them but if we turn around and begin

going the way we came in our back is to

them and who what's to say they haven't

hurt us maybe they'll stand up and start

shooting at us so it was kind of like an

in the- moment decision to we got to

engage and so our team lead you know he

got down and tapped his leg signaling to

somebody else start to engage he stepped

on to our team League's leg to get his

head up over the wall and he called out

they have weapons so we knew that yes

these are these are combatants and a

Close Quarters gunfight ensued but the

at least two people I I've heard as many

as seven but I think it was two people

on the other side of the wall there was

between two and seven at least two of

them were holding grenades that they had

already pulled the pins on they were

just holding the spoon down so as soon

as they let go it would detonate a

couple seconds later but they were

holding them for this exact reason in

case they were discovered it functions

as like a suicide bomb yes and so when

we began engaging them they threw the

grenades over the wall and I was not one

of the guys shooting I was standing

behind the guy who was shooting I'm just

in this this Alleyway and it's the

middle of the night run night vision and

there the the Drone overhead had an

infrared Spotlight that was cast down on

where we were to Mark where we were and

it was a flashing strobe so with

infrared you can only see it on night

vision so to the naked eye you it would

look like Darkness but to me on night

vision you know I have this blue

grayscale pretty highspeed night vision

and it was a very bright flash it felt

like you're in a spotlight that's

periodically flashing is there a reason

that it's not constant I think it had to

do with the fact that we were actively

in an engagement and I think that this

is I don't really know why cuz it's not

supposed to that actually has more to do

with targeting it's a little bit comp

it's a little bit complicated why you

would use a Flash versus steady but for

whatever reason we're in a flashing

strob I don't think it was protocol put

it that way but imagine there's like a

flashlight from God straight down to the

Earth that's what it looks like it's

this amazing really bright IR light

anyway so it's flashing and because it

was so bright when those grenades came

over the wall one of them came over the

wall and time slowed down because

immediately my brain is like there it is

your death is coming here comes this

grenade and it would flash the IR the r

strobe would flash on and this is just a

fraction of a second and I would see the

grenade coming right towards me and then

it would flash off and it would

disappear because it's now no longer

illuminated the light would come on

again now the grenades even closer I

mean it really felt that slow even

though this happened in the fraction of

a second grenade comes over it hits my

shoulder and it lands on the it hits

your shoulder it hit my shoulder hit my

shoulder and it fell to the ground and I

remember when I saw it flashing and

coming over the wall I actually was

thinking not oh boy I can't believe I'm

going to die it was more like I hope

this at least Ates below my head it'll

still kill me but at least my family

will be able to recognize me because it

will not blow my head off and so in this

like time standstill moment the grenade

that fear what is that that sounds like

an odly sort of rational it was rational

there was no emotion it was just facts

why I don't know I've never been in an

absolute near-death experience before

but what I tell people is in a weird way

you're the way we are able to live so

seamlessly our heart pumps you know we

breathe our lungs work we walk we talk

we do all these different things don't

think about it that's that our our

experience is being alive it happens

basically

automatically but you know what else

happens automatically is death we just

you only experience it once and your

your body your your brain your mind at

least in my personal experience is ready

for that moment you just don't think

that and so when it was time and I'm

like a grenade is coming over the wall

that's going to hit me it's going to

kill me it was just like boy I hope my

family can at least see my head and so I

remember when it hit my shoulder I was

thinking pleasee don't blow up please

don't blow up please don't blow it

please don't blow up and I was like oh

few it's going to blow me away relief

yeah I was like thank God and then when

it made it all the way down to my legs I

was thinking oh it might just blow

my legs off and I might be able to live

and then when it hit the ground and I

was able to slightly turn I was like oh

this is pretty good and then uh it

detonated and it it felt like someone

took a handful of rocks and just like a

light throw uh that hit me in the back

and the back of my legs but really what

it was was probably like a 100 pieces of

shrapnel so the way a grenade works is

there's a fuse inside of a a piece of

metal and the fuse it detonates and the

metal is designed to Splinter and create

little razor blades that get fired off

in every direction Y and um so those

Blades of metal were sent into all of us

and uh you know I I I just told the

story actually kind of recently there's

the what I remember which wound up not

being true and then there's what

actually happened and the only reason I

know what actually happened is I ended

up speaking to the guy who saved my life

4 years after I got hurt and because I I

wasn't able to talk to him it was so

traumatic I avoided him and frankly he

avoided me I'll tell you what what

actually happened but we didn't talk to

each other it's like I get medeva and I

never talked to him and then four years

later we finally have our talk and we we

debrief what happened and it and it the

story was not what I recalled what did

you think happened what I thought

happened is I survived the grenade but I

also as soon as the grenade detonated I

was on the ground on my on my face and

we were in the alleyway was also where

sewage came through so there was like

liquid and sewage and I fell into the

sewage and I'm laying there and I

couldn't stand up and I'm like obviously

aware that you know something's hit my

legs it's grenade uh I I thought I had

my legs you know was pretty confident

but I knew that clearly there's been a a

grievous injury to my legs and so I

couldn't stand up and then as I'm kind

of positioning myself like this and some

of this did happen by the way it was

more like the timing of things I

remember looking up and you know here's

this te right so we had walked down this

way and then the guys were on this side

they're shooting this way but at the

left and right side of the tea the top

of the tea if you will was an opening

that you could walk out to the field

where these guys were and I was thinking

as I'm like trying to stand and there's

at the time all this gunfire happening

feet away from me I mean it's chaos I'm

thinking someone's going to come around

the wall the combatants and they're

going to start shooting down the

alleyway and I'm looking at it and I

can't go anywhere and so I'm like well I

survived the grenade but it's only a

matter of time before we're overrun and

somebody comes in here and finishes me

off or worse I get taken hostage or

something like what can I do I can't

even my my my gun I remember uh I think

it was the the top of the gun it got

blown off by the grenade or it was it

didn't work like parts of the gun had

come off I never saw it again I was told

that it was not working um and then and

then my memory is somebody picked me up

and dragged me not to cover because

there really wasn't anywhere to go they

just kind of took us down the base of

the tea if you will to the side of this

wall and my medic put tourniquets on my

legs and and our jtac who calls in air

strikes they called in what's called a I

think it was a danger close air strike

which sounds like nothing but what that

really means is if you call in a danger

close air strike what that really means

is you're calling an air strike on your

position it means you're being over run

and when you do it you have to get the

initials from your commander basically

saying I I approve you calling an air

strike on yourself now you're not

literally doing it it's often when you

have no other choice like hey they're 5T

away from us on the other side of this

wall and we can't do anything try to hit

them don't try to hit us so they called

in a Hellfire missile when we're 15 20

ft away from where they're actually

targeting and so that did hit and it and

it neutralized the threat and but but

also at the same time there's all these

fighters in in the town that had been

fighting with us all day and when all

this chaos erupts it had been quiet to

that point there was a lull and as soon

as the shooting started people from all

around the city just began arbitrarily

shooting generally in that direction

shooting pgs in our Direction like they

could be hitting their own people they

don't care they're just shooting at us

and so there was just this chaotic you

know trying to suppress the threat

trying to call in a metab back and you

know after my medic had put the

tourniquets on me he was so calm he's

like hey it's okay you know it's all

good everybody's been hurt by the way

you know we have another guy whose lungs

have collapsed is that mostly from

grenades just from the grenades right

and there was only two grenades as far

as we know there was two there's there's

video of it and it it does kind of look

like there was two the video of it the

Drone was filming it yeah and have you

seen this yeah it's it's it's grainy

you're not like oh there I am it's more

like but you can probably pick out yeah

yes how does that feel to watch your own

mortal danger I will say that uh I was

glad that there was a record of it in a

way uh you know for for posterity or

something frame it put it on the wall I

think that's true uh you know what

initially because I didn't have my

debrief I'm going to tell you the

debrief here in a minute which changes

the story a little bit um I I felt like

you know I narrowly escaped and all of

the people that I was with that were

part of this this kind of horrible

situation we all lived there there was

out of a platoon of I think we had 25

people in the platoon seals in the

platoon and I think there was eight or

nine purple hearts on this deployment

and for reference you get a purple heart

if you're wounded in combat that's the

gist and I think the stipulation is you

actually have to bleed from an enemy

combatant's weapon like it's you it's

not just oh I bruised myself it's like

being punched isn't enough you you have

to get wounded for real and are you in

pain just at this point like what's

kicked in not really uh I have oh oh

like in the story are you yeah are you

feeling pain from the grenade because it

seems like someone just threw rocks at

the back of you it didn't there was no

pain nothing yeah it had to have just

been shock there was there was

absolutely nothing I felt pressure where

there was definite big serious holes in

my leg but it didn't hurt at all the

pain came you know days later as I'm

recovering but um so yeah we I end up

getting we we run out of the this place

we are under the hail of gunfire to this

helicopter that took us to a I went to a

a medical tent actually at fob shank

where I first landed in Afghanistan

looks very similar to this and then from

there I went to Germany and I was there

for a week and then I was sent home I

was like pushing a cart in Home Depot

hobbling around seven days after being

on the battlefield but the thing that

really screwed with me was actually um

you know I came home and I I I frankly

was not prepared to to really talk about

the specifics of what happened but I

didn't know why I wasn't like oh boy I'm

so screwed up from that it was more like

I just don't really want to talk about

that but four years later I end up

talking to my medic who is the guy who

put tourniquets on my legs because I

would have bled to death Ian he also

didn't want to talk about it in we both

without saying anything completely

avoided each other we worked at the same

Seal Team like we weren't on after when

I came home from this injury I was out

of my platoon the platoon was over and I

was put into a new group a whole new

group of guys you know so we weren't

working together directly we actually I

came back home and we didn't see each

other but we went to the same building

every day for work and we definitely

waved at each other but it was like

we're just not going to talk about this

really big thing that we both went

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