How close to death have YOU been...

In the Gulf of Tonkin off of Vietnam on a U.S. Navy destroyer.We were patroling the coast with the task of intercepting North Vietnamese truck convoys going down the coastal highway. We spotted some trucks and closed in, guns blazing, about a mile off shore. The trucks raced into a thicket of trees and skidded to a stop. We thought we had them when suddenly little puffs of smoke erupted all around the trucks. A few seconds later, the screech of artillary shells screamed over our heads and exploded in the water next to our ship.You know how they say that time slows down? Well it did. My mind slowed down the geyser of water from the first exploding shell. In a terrifying split-second, it climbed higher and higher in the clear blue sky and I could see the shock wave race toward the ship. I had enough time to yell a few choice swear words before I found myself flying backwards."This is it". I thought. When I was able to focus my eyes I was staring at the ceiling. I checked myself out and found that all my body parts were still there with the addition of a warm wet spot between my legs. But then, just about everyone else's pants were wet as well. That caused laughter and cursing and nervous chatter as the other crew members regained their feet.More shells cascaded down around the ship in a terrible cacaphony of thunderous explosions and brilliant flashes. At least we could fight back, so the mood changed from terror to grim determination. I expected the Captain to shout some sort of John Wayne type of war slogan. Instead, I heard him yell,"Let's get the f*ck outta here!"And so we did. Flank Speed. I was totally, completely, absolutely, physically spent. Shot. Exhausted. Worthless. And alive. GOD! The air smelled good. And food. And coffee. And a dry pair of pants.And life can end in a heart beat. In one instant, one flick of time, I lost my youthful immortality. I can die. I lost some of my foolishness as well.Well, not all of it. (:raig

Hi Iano,My mind focused on the shock wave of the exploding shell. In real time, it couldn't have taken more than a second or two for the shock wave to reach me, but my brain had a tremendous amount of data to process. I distinctly remember...
* a flashback to newsreel footage of bombs exploding from a WWII bomber and the expanding shock wave from the explosions.
* a flaskback to a TV documentary about WWI and some poor infantryman flying head over heels when a shell exploded in the trench he was in.
* a flashback to the movie clip of the U.S.S. Arizona exploding in the Pearl Harbor attack.
* the realization that this was going to hurt.
* a command to my bladder to "abandon ship".
* a command to my mouth to say something appropriate. (:raig

My bowels held. My bladder didn't. I was in partial shock. So my brain went into "auto-pilot" while the rest of my body slowly checked in to Command Central. Some men were bleeding from the ears and nose from the shock, but didn't realize it until someone else pointed it out. Thank you brennakimi,I wouldn't wish war on my worst enemy. As a footnote, after the war, I tracked down the North Vietnamese artillary captain who tried to blow me out of the water. He survived also, and wrote me that he was just as scared as I was."You Navy Yankees shoot very good."(:raig