Aircraft crash in 1984...Multi trauma and burns.

Diving at Blue Grotto in Williston Fl, we decided to kill some wait time between dives by snorkeling down into the cave and up into the air chamber they created - fed by a compressor up top. Down was easy - I had a rope to pull on. Out and up was a different story, fortunately had my full wetsuit on so I dumped my lead weights and popped to the top.

Also had a guy use the oak tree I was sitting up against (I was out waiting for a deer) as a target background to test his new 22... Imagine his suprise when I dropped the 5 round mag from my AR15, put in a 30, and let all 30 rip (into a safe known backstop... unlike him)

geez i had a story but after reading these i won't bother!

some of you guys must really greet each morning with a grateful attitude!!!

Diving post reminded me...

In the Bahamas diving a coral cave that opened at 90 feet and meandered up to the reef surface at 30 feet. Single file through a narrow cave. The lady who insisted on being last in line panics. She swims under me to pass. She pushed me up into the coral where my tank and hoses got completely tangled. I couldn't move and there was no one around to signal for help. The tank and hoses were caught in coral directly behind my back so I couldn't reach the tangle or see it.

I had to take off my vest, weights and try to keep from drifting away from my gear while I untangled everything. I had to drop the regulator from my mouth finally to get the hoses free. I cut my hands and legs on the coral a little, but I was OK. Man, was I scared.

I drove a friend's Vega once.

Racing mom's 68 impala station wagon after midnight in Palos Vedes, went into a corner way too hot, slide into (empty) on coming traffic lane, slammed into curb standing station wagon up on two wheels, wagon hovered on two wheels not sure if it was going over or going to land on the wheels, it landed right side up.

Riding in the back of my friends 58 F1 Ford pickup off roading in the Palos Vedres slide area. We in the back didn't know it but he had lost his brakes and was heading for a cliff. At the last minute he jumped out on the side board and yelled "jump", we never would have made it. Fortunately he had a three on the tree shifter and was trying to downshift, just as he went to jump he stuffed it in reverse and when he stepped out he took his foot off the clutch and the truck stopped at the edge of the cliff.

Ridding in same truck, jumped out on the running board as we did all the time, friend sees oleander bush overgrowing into the road, thinks it would be funny to brush me with it, I see it coming and at the last minute jump into the back of the truck, three inch branch rips his side view mirror.

Kauai drove through cane field to remote beach, twenty foot surf breaking about a mile out, shore break was about six feet. We got the bright idea the it would be fun to body surf the shore break. Got about up to our thigh and realized there was a massive rip current. Got down on all fours and was still being slowly sucked out. Waited for next six foot wave to come in, at the last minute stood up and let it throw me ashore.

Thought of another one. I was 8 and went fishing with my dad on an old dock. The dock had missing boards, protruding nails, rotting to pieces. I caught a fish but couldn't get the hook out. My dad, with his winning fatherly skills shoved me aside to hold the rod and get the fish off. I fell thru one of the holes in the dock and dropped 8ft into a seaweed filled canal. I couldnt swim because I was trapped in the weeds. I was under for a good 30 secs before he could lower the fishing pole and yank me out. Another 10 sec and I would have been in real bad shape.

i almost commited suicide. but not how you think. highschool, friends and i hiked hueco tanks. no ropes. we climbed to the top of a rock formation. it was one of those situations where you can go up, but couldnt come back down. we tried and tried. then one guy, steve decided we should jump for a tree. there was a tree peeking up, and the sloping, downwards radius of the rock prevented us from seeing anymore of the tree or the ground below. we were standing there, psyching out for the jump when one guys screams, "i think i found a way down!" it was true, we were saved! we creeped down and got to the base of the tree. it was something like 80 feet high and very flimsy and dried out at the top. we would have died for sure. i almost puked.

then there was the time my bro set off his 7mm rifle about 12 inches from my face. i blew a deer stalk, and in his excitement he ran up to me to ask me how close i got. he set the rifle down, and it went off in my direction. i was deafened, and stunned. he almost abandoned his new rifle right there, and was in tears. i calmed him down, and carried both rifles out of the field, and we went home.

That reminded me of another incident. We were in port in the Philippines, 1987 after doing the first 15 or so escorts of the re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers. The three of us left Alongapo for Subic City to attend a party for one of the great enlisted guys on our detachment that had just made Chief. We were running late so we decided to take the semi-express jeepney to Subic City.

The drive is very rural, mountainous and twisty. It is now dark. About half-way into the hour drive, my buddies and I realize that all the locals have gotten off...right about then the jeepney veers into the bushes, I estimate we went about 1/4 mile off the road into very dense canopy.

The jeepney stops, out from the bushes step about four armed young men. They were angry yet oddly polite. "Give us all the money you have."

No issue. We all hand over about $200 in total, show them our wallets and pockets are empty. Then we wait.

Without a word, the jeepney driver starts his rig, reverses and takes us back to the main road, lets us out and heads back down the mountain. It is still dark.

The next jeepney coming up stops and picks us up...we tell him we'll get the money. And we do. The party was great...I needed a few San Miguels:cool:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1214501504.jpg

I'm in the middle after a few Migoo's..cheesy 'stash and all. Pic taken at the Chief's party.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1214501598.jpg

Good think Legion didn't see this happen.

18 years old I rolled my old Plymouth doing about a hundred miles an hour. I knew I was going to die. Things got very quiet every time the car went airborne and I would open my eyes trying to see where I was and what was happening. People say your life flashes before eyes when you think you're going to die but I remember every time I'd close my eyes I'd have flashbacks of yelling at my mother. I quess I had some guilt of how I treated my mom back then.

I broke my left shoulder twice while racing motorcycles,

Crashed my 289 engine 51 Ford PU late one night, missed a stop sign and a curve, hit the BIG steel fence around a oil well, totaled the truck. Beer might have been involved.

Worked in Alaska where every single day seemed to have an adventure.
One day we boarded a barg with 50+ 55 gallon drums of gas and jet fuel. The boss wanted us to drain some of the mostly used drums into an open bucket then pour into another drum. There was a compressor running nearby. Someone spilled the gas on the deck, a spark from the compressor caught the gas on fire, someone kicked the bucket of gas over and it was all over the deck and into the water. Some of the drums were burning, the paint was burning off and they were hissing. I looked around and knew there was no way I could jump into the water and swim far enough. One of the guys had seen a fire extinguisher as we came on board, as it turned out, the only one. He had the sense to run back and get it, spray the burning drums and we got the rest of the gas out.

Every day there seemed to be something, just getting in and out of the helicopter was sometimes a thrill.

Other car wrecks and bike stories.

Just happy as hell to be here.

You ol' bastards are crazy. ****.

And it's nothing but pure luck that most of us made it this far...

Where's Dr Danger when you need him ?

Paul, shaving the 'stache was a wise choice.;)

Held up at knife point in the East Village in '99, decided I might have a chance to get away with my backpack and struggled with the thug, he slashed me on the wrist and hands. Glad he didn't decide to stab me in more sensitive areas.
Got stitched up at Bellevue. I have some good scars as a result (I tell most people it was a bicycle accident)...

I have always felt people with knives are more scary than people with guns. They like the personal touch. They like their up close work.

Worked the ER for many yr's..
realized ..I was lucky ,
the folk's I'm working on..are not.

Rika

The only vehicle you could hear rust on the showroom floor.