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In
a famous scene from the movie "Jaws", the veteran shark hunter
and the younger scientist are comparing scars. The Marines mentioned in
this article would do well in such a grim contest.
These Marines were "bitten" by common, everyday Marine Corps
weapons and equipment. While most Marines gain from serving in the Corps,
these Marines lost:
- You hold it, and Ill hit it.
During a field evaluation, a PFC
and a lance corporal hurried to drive some engineer stakes into the
ground. Whack! First blow. "Hold it still!" said the lance
corporal. The PFC adjusted for a better grip on the stake, and the lance
corporal brought the sledgehammer down for a second blow. The PFCs
thumb momentarily passed over the top of the stake just as the hammer came
down. The blow severed the tip of his thumb.
5-ton truck strikes again. Echoing an earlier mishap involving a
5-ton truck rearview mirror, a corpsman placed his left hand on the edge
of a 5-ton and jumped for the ground. As he dropped, his wedding band
caught on the passenger-side-bed support. He landed safely but was missing
most of his ring finger. Unable to save his finger, the hospital
surgically amputated what remained of it.
Moving a 155 howitzer. A PFC staged his crews weapons while they
moved their gun; he stacked all their weapons but forgot to stage his own.
He rejoined his crew and pitched in to help wrestle the howitzer into
position. He leaned over to grab one of the trail handles, and, as he
strained to help lift, his M16-A2 slipped from his shoulder. It slid down
his arm, smashing his index finger against the handle, which severed his
finger at the first joint.
"I can lift it." Attempting a two-man lift by himself, a
Marine grabbed and pulled a full acetylene tank from a Mk-48/15 wrecker.
He lost control of the tank, which fell and crushed his left hand,
amputating his middle finger at the first knuckle.
On three, heave! Throwing steel posts with concrete footings onto a
5-ton truck, two Marines swung hard, launching them overhead to get enough
height to clear the trucks tailgate. On one attempt, one Marine let go
early, and the concrete end of the post fell back. It smashed the other
Marines right hand against the tailgate and severed the end of his
middle finger.
Dont wear rings or other jewelry.
Time and time again Marines smash, deglove, or lose fingers because
they get these items caught on vehicles, weapons, machinery, and other
equipment.
Dont put any part of your body between hard objects.
Hammers, howitzers, trailers, trucks, heavy equipment and other
weapons have claimed nearly a dozen fingers over the past five years. Use
ground guides and a two-man lift when required.
Wear gloves.
No Marines in these incidents were reportedly wearing gloves; if they
had, their injuries would likely have been less severe, and, the lost
fingers would have been easier to find. |
