The Boobytrap Recognition Manuals 1, 2 & 3

[MikeP]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

I seriously doubt that any of those devices ever successfully trapped a booby.

Never underestimate the innate ability of the average GI to engage in careless, reckless, and just plain dumb behavior in terms of injury or even self destruction or that of others.
Sad to have to say, but it's just the truth.
Some border crossers launched out of our camp occasionally and their gunships established a fuel and ammo dump on our turn around pad. Fuel and ammo right together. Mortar hit the fuel and it blazed up pretty good, tossing 55 gal drums high in the air. Great display til it reached the ammo. Linked 40mm stuff and then to their 2.5 and 3.5 inch rockets. Bigger show. lots of explosions. The rockets would pinwheel all over the place and explode on impact. Went to the underground team house at that point.
Next day they sent out some EOD guys to clean up the mess. One guy was yanking a rocket embedded a foot or two in the ground and got away with it. Another walked up and kicked a dud 40mm about 10 feet from where I was. It went off and took most of his foot. He was screaming about his foot and I was screaming about his stupid self almost getting me kilt.
I spent a week in ICU at 3rd field hospital and next to me were 4 or 5 guys bandaged head to toe. One died and the others were blind and one missing his hands. One had been fooling with a grenade and dropped it among them. Glad to get out of there. Just 2 instances that stand out. Just saying anything is possible where young troops are involved. Youth, vigor, carelessness, whatever. The stories will never end where that is involved.