Worst Injury You've Ever Gotten?

[4Ballz]

My last active duty deployment was to FOB Lagman in Qalat, Southern Afghanistan. I spent 13 months assigned to an Army unit doing a provincial security mission. In 13 months I manage to hit 4 IEDs.

The one that did the most visible damage was a triple stacked AT-6 mine that lifted our 6 ton up armored HMVEE off the ground and landed us on our lid. That one shattered my right collar bone so badly that it healed non-union, which means the bones did not reconnect (the x-ray is pretty epic). They just kind of float around in there held together by scar tissue. I'm actually 1.6 inches narrower from the center of my sternum to my right shoulder cap than I am from the center of my sternum to the left side.

The damage you can't see is the TBI that I have from the accumulated blast damage to my grey matter. In the long run, it's going to be a lot harder to live with than the collar bone.

But, and this is a huge, monumental but, I consider my deal to be scratch, worthy of no more than a band-aid, compared to how badly some of our guys got hurt. I have zero complaints.

I had suffered 3 right shoulder injuries in sports, and those moments were terrible. However, I will reconsider. Thanks for your story, and your duty.