While doing range clearances as EOD, a few times we were way too close to the detonation (out in the middle of nowhere Utah, it seems farther away than it looks due to so much open area). I have also had MK series bomb base plates and bomb lugs whizz over my head at a high rate of speed after detonating.

In 2007 we did a large scale neighborhood clearing mission with the Iraqi army.The house was unoccupied. An Iraqi army soldier felt the need to clear the top of an armoire by climbing up on top of it. He jumped down with his finger on the trigger, AK off safe and popped off a round that went into the wall about 6 inches from my head. I got pulled off him by my buddy as I was choking him.

Gulf War. Arrived in Dec 90 after a PCS back from Europe. An FO, I was attached to a platoon in C 3/15 Inf, 24th ID. Platoon leader wanted me in the Bradley turret with him, so I learned how to gun the Bradley. Just as they prepared to move us out west for the big left hook, we got a bunch of new FO's in so I was moved to A company, this time riding in the back of the Bradley.

When we attacked the Jalibah airfield, the C company Bradley I'd been in was hit by friendly tank fire from 3/69 Armor. I believe the round came in the starboard side, went through the turret base, and hit an AT-4 racked inside and set it off. The driver was killed. The FO who took my place had minor burns and was flash blinded for a couple days. He showed up at the unit a few days later OK, in a brand new fresh uniform to replace the burned one.

In between Gulf War 1 and 2 I saw a few "FF" issues.

1. In SOI (School of Infantry) had a buddy from Boot Camp that took a round to his knee during advancing fire drills. Ended his career, but not the career of the Marine that was behind the M-16.

2. Strategic security on a US base, had a M-60e3 runaway fire, hitting just above me as I was waiting to make entry on a building.
We switched to the M-240G soon after that.

3. Was not me but was on base when it happened, someone tripped climbing a ladder well and 'somehow' their MP5 went off. 2 or 3 rounds barely missed the guy in front of him.
This was during a training exercise, and SOPs were quickly changed to only train in Condition 4, where we used to train in Condition 3.

FF caused two casualties inside of a year (or so) in my former Battalion. One was a case of mistaken identity in the midst of a close-quarter night-time engagement during deployment. The other was during a live fire training event. They were, of course, absolutely tragic. Gut-wrenching for everyone involved. Especially considering neither was caused by easily-identifiable negligence.

There was another death on the deployment that wasn't FF, but was tragic in that it was accidental/negligent and avoidable.

Not LE or Mil., not trying to compete with the heros of either, but in the summer of 1964, my dad took my 14yo. self duck hunting (in boats) in the swamps at the South of the Caspian Sea. First day into the trip I let a round of shot go about 6" over my dad's head when he stood up in the boat unexpectedly. Both actions were because of a nice flush of about a dozen birds. The following day, the same thing happened in reverse, the shot actually parted my hair. My dad swore it was not intended to teach me a lesson, but I learned something all right.

Later that day we were joined by two "guides" neither of whom spoke any Farsi, although their Russian was fluent. The third day we drove the guides up to a village near Turkey and dropped them off. I now believe I was cover for an ex-fil operation, although I had no clue at the time. I probably would have been killed along with all the others if the KGB or even SAVAK had caught on.

I forgave my father for both incidents a long time ago.

I need to preface this by saying “I was no where near involved!”

https://abc7chicago.com/post/c...y-cpd-says/16674273/

Happened last night.
Chicago Police Department just announced the official findings.

Not good… not good at all.

However, me personally- yes.
Twice in the Marines
One pretty close one on the Police Department.
I’ll post about them later.

One morning in the police dept locker room (lockers on both sides of a middle aisle) Officer near the front door called me over to show me a .44 mag he had purchased. I believe it was a Ruger single action. He had five rounds in it and was going to leave an empty chamber under the hammer. As I stepped out of the locker room door (about 10 feet away) I hear an enormous boom. He had cocked the hammer and pulled the trigger on what he thought was the empty chamber. However, the cylinder rotated opposite direction of our duty weapon, S&W .41 magnums, causing the hammer to fall on a loaded chamber. He got time off without pay. I got a change of underwear, ha.

quote:

Originally posted by cndrdk:
However, the cylinder rotated opposite direction of our duty weapon ....

A coincidence: I mentioned that issue about how Ruger and S&W cylinders rotated differently a couple of hours ago in a concealed carry class I was teaching. I will remember your story for the future.