Going through my journals, it seems that I was nearby waaaayy too many accidents during my time...this is one of the more odd ones.
Night maneuver training at Hohenfels, my troop was roaming an area of broken gullies and washes on the east side of the maneuver area, our squadron commander was following the troop in his M-113. Night vision is a wonderful thing, but let's just say that the depth perception, especially on older vehicles like the 113 wasn't that great.
My tank was on the right flank of the troop and my gunner and I were taking turns on the thermal sight when we were suddenly dazzled by IR lights shining right at us. I popped up into my hatch and was illuminated by a pair of headlights on high beam, right before the 113 dropped into a medium-sized gully and rolled over.
I had my driver kill the IR headlights and switch to white light and called the accident in over the platoon net and headed towards the 113. In only a few moments, four IPM-1s were pulled up onto the edge of the gully illuminating the 113 lying on its side. By the time the first of us had made our way down the side, a dozen more tanks and 113s had pulled up.
Our squadron commander was riding with a light crew, himself, the S-2 and S-3, our FAC officer and the normal TC and driver. Of this mob, there were two dislocated shoulders, a broken arm, a broken leg, a concussion and the at least 4 broken ribs. The driver was the worse off, his hatch had popped free from its lock and slammed onto his head as the vehicle rolled over, he had a concussion, broken ribs and a broken leg.
Our squadron commander had cut his head and was dazed and confused, he kept climbing up and down each side of the gully, trailed by at least four different officers, each with a first aid kit....finally our Platoon Sergeant stopped him with a "Sit the fuck down sir! You're bleeding like a stuck pig!"
By this time, we had stabilized the driver and evac'd him from the vehicle, when the medics showed, they strapped him into a litter and then tried to walk him up the slope, where they promptly dropped him, still strapped to the litter. There was a comment "fucking medics are more used to treating the fucking clap!" and a dozen tankers grabbed the litter and took it up the wall, passing him from man to man.
Still can't get over the medics dropping that man...
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