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Turret Gunner Gets Launched From Vehicle During SVBIED Attack
Published 4 years ago
We received a video from our friend Dalton who, after five years, is ready to share the gnarly footage of the time he was launched from the gunner’s turret during an SVBIED attack in Afghanistan.
“It was August 24, 2014. We were in Nangarhar headed back to JAF (Jalalabad Airfield) in the second vehicle of the convoy. I was in the gunners seat. The first vehicle passed this three wheel motorcycle that had like a cart on the back which was covered.
As we go to pass he swerves and detonates. From what I was told it was 500 pounds of HME (homemade explosive). All I saw was fire and smoke and believed without a doubt I was about to die as I got ejected from the vehicle.
Then, I land and that’s when the video starts. Took the camera off and was trying to figure out how to turn it off. After I turned it off, medevac helicopters were brought in, I quit pulling security to help carry the terp to the bird, then myself and a couple others flew off on the next (CASEVAC flight).”
Incredibly, no US service members were killed in the attack. However, Dalton’s interpreter was badly wounded by the blast, and he is still uncertain of the terp’s fate.