Three men and I were in a convoy on our way to the bivouac area by way of one of the sandy
roads in Texas. All the Jeeps were towing trailers with mortar and ammunition carts.
Our Jeep was the last vehicle in the convoy -- and, as always -- the last vehicle was
trying to keep up with the rest of the convoy. Keeping up, especially in the
sand, meant going about 45 miles per hour (mph). When we reached this speed, the
trailer started to fishtail, causing the Jeep to do the same.
I was sitting in the back seat and immediately realized what was going to happen: the
Jeep and the trailer were about to overturn. I crouched on top of the tire chains
compartment, and prepared to jump. The momentum of
the Jeep sent it airborne, so as I jumped, I was catapulted upward with the Jeep
and vaulted outward to the side. I was away from the Jeep, but still going up with it.
I remember seeing the whole thing going
over my head at one point, and remember thinking to myself, "Keep going, keep going!". I landed
hard on my hands and knees, safely out of harm's way.
The Jeep landed on the other side of the road, turned completely sideways, forward and motion
stopped. It must have made a complete turn in the
air! The ammo cart had turned over, but was still
attached. The windshield was lying next to it, steering column bent but on its
wheels, shuddering and still running. I knew I must have done the right thing by jumping,
because the other three men apparently stayed with the Jeep. There they lay, oddly arranged in a circle with the jeep and the ammo cart.
One had a broken arm, another had a dislocated shoulder
and the third had a raw back where the Jeep scraped going over him. All were in a semi-conscious state, saying senseless things.
When I realized that everyone else was
incoherent, I ran up the road to catch the rest of the convoy. They had pulled
off the road waiting for us, but I had to run a full two miles before I saw them. I told the
commanding officer what had happened, and he called the radio Jeep. I directed the driver back to where
we turned over...and he proceeded to drive us back at 50 mph! After all I had been through,
the thing that bothered me most at the time was going back in that damn Jeep driving five mph faster than the
speed of the Jeep in the previous mishap!
When we got to the scene, the driver radioed for an ambulance which took the
three guys to the hospital. They all made it alright, and afterwards there was
an investigation. The Jeep was totaled, at a price of $600. That price would have
more zeros added on today.
Art Pranger
(1/18/98)
