Channing Moss
Channing Moss is a former private in the U.S. Army. On March 16, 2006, Moss' unit was attacked while patrolling in Paktika Province, eastern Afghanistan by the Taliban. Moss survived the attack, however, an Unexploded rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was lodged in his abdomen.
Biography
Channing Moss attended West Hall High School in Oakwood, Georgia. Soon after graduation, Moss married Lorena Moss and joined the United States Army.
RPG Attack
On March 16, 2006, Moss was traveling in a Humvee following four other Humvees near the Pakistan border. When the soldiers had passed under a ridgeline, his unit was fired at by Taliban who had been waiting with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. Moss had a Mark 19 grenade launcher that he used to return fire. During the exchange, Moss was hit by an RPG on the left side of his body. The RPG extended out of his skin on the right side, but did not explode. Once the Humvee exited the kill zone, Moss was thrown out onto the side of the road. When they realized the RPG had not exploded, the soldiers chose to help Moss rather than allow him to die; risking the lives of every soldier and those who aided him. A medic injected him with a morphine shot, and wrapped the unexploded RPG. The soldiers included Jared Angell, Dan Brown, Billy Mariani, Kevin Kirk, John Oh, Eric Wynn, and MEDEVAC crew based in Salerno, Afghanistan.
Moss remained conscious while being transported to a helicopter. He was air lifted to Orgun-E hospital where he was operated on by three surgeons. When the helicopter reached the hospital, nurses attempted to put an intravenous line in his arm, while the doctors removed the tape wrapped by Moss’s fellow soldiers, revealing that the RPG was unexploded. Moss was awake and talking but his heart rate had dropped to around twenty beats per minute.
The X-rays revealed that the RPG had split in two. The warhead was unattached to the explosive that remained inside his body. There was a risk to removing the warhead from the tail and fins because of the high possibility of it exploding. The surgeons and nurses wore helmets and body armor to protect themselves. They removed the RPG without it going off, but most of Moss' pelvic bone had shattered and the surgeons removed much of the large intestine. Moss was then airlifted to a hospital in Bagram. After recovering in Germany, Moss was flown to Washington D.C. to Walter Reed Medical Center.
Moss underwent physical therapy and was awarded the Purple Heart.
Afterwards
Moss lives in Georgia with his wife and two daughters: Yuliana, who is six, and Ariana, who is four. He attends college in Georgia.
Notes
- "Astonishing Survival of Soldier with Unexploded Bomb Wedged INSIDE His Stomach after Afghanistan Ambush". Mail Online. Daily Mail. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.
- Halicks, Richard, and Mike Luckovich. "I Could See The Tail Fins Sticking Out of Me." Atlanta Journal-Constitution [Atlanta] 21 May 2006: A1. Print.
- Paparella, Andrew, and Lafaille, Rena. "Channing Moss and the Men Who Saved Him: Where Are They Now?" ABC News. ABC News Network, 26 May 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.
- Reiss, Ruth. "Military Medical Team Makes the 'Toughest Call'" ABC News. ABC News Network, 22 Sept. 2007. Web. 24 Feb.
- Stanford, Ken. "20/20 Updates Channing Moss Story." North Georgia News. Access North Georgia, 30 May 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.