What was your dumbest injury ever?

2015-04-30T03:57:28-04:00

What is the dumbest, most preventable injury you ever received? Mine was when I thought I'd go all 'hooah' and support some Cavalrymen by jumping in on their tire flip relay. In trying to beat a SSG to the finish line 25 yards away, I got sloppy and pulled my lower back. I was on profile for a couple weeks after that. What was YOUR dumbest injury ever?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2015 5:02 AM

2015-04-30T05:02:32-04:00

Respond to original question…While deployed to Kosovo, I accidently cut my thumb with a serrated knife and had to have surgury to reattach my tendon.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2015 5:34 AM

2015-04-30T05:34:25-04:00

Recently fractured three bones in my leg sprinting off the back ramp of a helicopter during a training op. Easily could have been prevented if I would have taken a quick moment to slow down for the disembark, especially considering it was at night.

Response by SFC Stephen King made Apr 30 at 2015 5:34 AM

2015-04-30T05:34:26-04:00

Teaching Combative the clinch drill. The goal for students to achieve the clinch while being punched. I had a young Soldier elbow me in the right arm while extended. The impact completely tore my right distal bicep. 1 year of recovery lesson learned ☆

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2015 5:51 AM

2015-04-30T05:51:51-04:00

A snowball fight in the motorpool in Baumholder Germany. I twisted wrong to avoid the snowball and wrenched my back. I could hardly walk and needed help getting back to the barracks. The snowball missed. Victory.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Apr 30 at 2015 6:22 AM

2015-04-30T06:22:46-04:00

I jumped a not so stable fence at a ball field, after being warned about its instability, botched the landing and dislocated my ankle. OUCH to my ankle and ego!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2015 7:26 AM

2015-04-30T07:26:16-04:00

Mild TBI, never reported, at CAS in Macedonia. I was looking at something going on to my left and ran headlong into a pole. Saw stars and everything. Rather embarrassing.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2015 9:21 AM

2015-04-30T09:21:15-04:00

I weigh about 160, so while I was trying to bench 235, brought the bar too far down and tore my left shoulder, I am still nursing that one since I didn't want surgery

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2015 9:48 AM

2015-04-30T09:48:07-04:00

With or without involving alcohol?

Response by SGT Alicia Brenneis made Apr 30 at 2015 11:14 AM

2015-04-30T11:14:11-04:00

Mine was more of an infection. Apparently Strep can cause a condition called cellulitis (extreme swelling cellulose tissue). It also is very common...... however there was no way I was telling people that my ankle looked like It had been run over because the FAT cells in my foot were swollen! Especially since I worked with a bunch of 11Bs. I would never have lived it down. So I told them I sprained it playing football with my brothers and since I was playing when It started to hurt I went with it. I know .. liar liar

Response by SGT Richard H. made Apr 30 at 2015 1:10 PM

2015-04-30T13:10:49-04:00

As a child - Falling off of a garage roof when I 'died" playing war and landing on my head.

As an adult - standing on the back of a deuce and a half on a post detail. I was stacking trash bags as they were tossed up to me. I yelled "NO" in response to a question from the ground, and the driver thought I yelled "GO". Did a pretty awkward backflip, again landing on my head.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 1 at 2015 1:40 AM

2015-05-01T01:40:08-04:00

The dumbest injury I've had to date was when I was 8 and I decided I wanted to fly. Jumped from a swing at its apex and flew for about a second before I remembered about gravity and started falling. Landed on my arm dislocating my shoulder and did some serious damage to my elbow.

On the upside I learned how not to impact the ground.

Response by SGT Anthony Bussing made May 17 at 2015 8:46 PM

2015-05-17T20:46:18-04:00

as a young Marine tanker...I was working on a bridge one day (the Bridge tank) using like a 2 1/8 in socket wrench...the guy I was working with was using a 2 in socket to keep the bolt from turning...I got done and said "go to the next one" and he picked up the wrence by the handle, not holding on to the socket....well..."clang, clink, clang...SMACK" hit me right in the face...put a hole in side of my nose....(yes, I had a 3rd nostril)

went to the BAS...doc numbed the left side of my face...too bad the hole was on the right side....then sewed it up and put a huge bandage over it...Bn Sgt Major yelled at me for walking across the bn grinder with no blouse or cover on...he jumped my ass for being out of uniform...I mumbled something about "yes sgt major" and went to my room and passed out...

11 nov 2005 I was in Iraq on my MiTT mission as the team medic....had this horrible pain in my left flank down into my groin...having had a kidney stone before, I quickly Dx myself as having another stone...not a lot one can do for those...so I said "hell with it" and sucked it up and drove on...until I couldnt do it anymore...turns out...yeah, my appendix was about to burst...some medic...lol

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2015 9:06 PM

2015-05-17T21:06:21-04:00

I pulled the barrel off my M2A3 Bradley by myself want walked it into the shop, again by myself....tore my rotator cuff in the process.

Response by SSG Adam Reed made May 17 at 2015 10:14 PM

2015-05-17T22:14:03-04:00

Ft. Ord California. circa 1990, walking to pt field to take another test. Tripped over a tree root and twisted my ankle. CO thought I was faking to get out of test so he still made me take it. Needless to say I failed the run and got on his shit list.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 25 at 2015 11:41 AM

2015-08-25T11:41:21-04:00

I was shocked by static electricity when reaching out before helo was completely discharged.

Response by SSG Ray Murphy made Nov 7 at 2016 9:10 PM

2016-11-07T21:10:30-05:00

Walking to the latrine building in the middle of the night (Korea 1982 latrines were in their own buildings) and was still half asleep, went face first into a turtle trap, breaking my nose and blacking both my eyes. Waited until sick call to get it looked at, got in trouble for delaying the seeking of treatment to. :)

Response by PO3 Christopher Jonah Nelson made Nov 7 at 2016 9:37 PM

2016-11-07T21:37:42-05:00

Volleyball game.

Opposing team spiked the ball illegally, coming over the net to do so, and used their entire upper body to drive the ball through my thumb, severing three ligaments and folding my thumb back against my wrist.

Injury was compounded because the flight surgeon Lt. I was assigned to thought it was just a sprain. Took three weeks before he referred me to the Lt. Cdr (OIC of medical), who took one look at it and ordered a specialist for surgery.

Response by 1SG Bill Farmerie made Nov 9 at 2016 5:47 PM

2016-11-09T17:47:24-05:00

We played pushball for PT in Germany. Had quite a few get hurt

Response by SP5 Robert Ruck made Apr 8 at 2020 6:07 PM

2020-04-08T18:07:28-04:00

Having wrapped a commo cable around a tree branch to keep it out of the snow at Grafenwer I pulled the cable to get it down. It spun around the branch and the cable end smacked me square in the mouth, splitting my upper lip and knocking me on my butt. As I got to the ambulance to get back to base to get some stitches they carried a Staff Sgt. up who had slipped in a tank track and broke his leg. The medic told me to put some snow on my lip. I still have the scar 40 years later.