"Solders of Reddit who have been shot before: What went through your mind when the bullet hit you?" –– We heard from more than just soldiers after Redditor Ijustwannaposthings asked one hell of a loaded question.
In a country that recently had travel warnings issued against it by other nations perturbed by its epidemic of gun violence, some of these stories hit rather close to home.
"You feel the impact..."
You feel the impact and then you feel weird. It doesn't hurt at the moment, but then you feel a burning sensation. The adrenaline kicks in and you instantly default to survival mode: get to cover, check your gear and see if you are still on the fight.
The first thing I remember is the blood. Despite what everyone thinks, you don't start spitting blood like a geyser and bleed out to death. Granted, it depends of several factors such as calibre, where it hit you and your body. Instead, you bleed little by little and if the wound is left untreated and you don't remain still, then the red flood starts.
Basically, my first thought was: << so this is what a bullet feels like, haha... shite>> and cue the sudden realisation that you are still alive.
"My grandfather..."
My grandfather was in law enforcement. He was shot through the upper part of his thigh during an altercation and said he didn't notice anything other than a "spreading wet feeling" until the adrenaline wore off.
"It didn't necessarily..."
I'm no soldier, but I've been shot. It didn't necessarily hurt at first, the worst part was the terror and dread of realizing there was a bullet in my gut and thinking I was a dead man.
"I was shot..."
I was shot in the lower left leg. At the moment of impact U felt exactly that, an impact. Like someone hitting me in the leg with a bat really hard. No initial pain, but i put that down to that we had been in contact for a few minutes and the adrenaline was pumping. Initially i thought i had tripped over something so i pulled it together and made billy bigsteps to the nearest solid object to get cover. Thats when i looked down and saw my trouser leg was a sightly different colour than what it was a minute earlier.
Thats when the realisation of what had happened sunk in. I don't remember saying it, but i was told by several people the first thing i said was " this is going to be a problem". It took a bit longer till the pain became noticeable. It's a burning pain, like when you accidentally stub a cigarette out on yourself, except it builds up into a different pain that i cant describe with words, it's just a new pain. The odd thing is i didn't find it to be a debilitating pain, its just there, its more of an intense discomfort.
"A soldier..."
A soldier I served with was shot through the hand in a gang incident before he joined the Army, and he said you could imagine it like getting your immunization shots delivered at pistol round velocity. It burns deep under your flesh.
"It was on a warm June Day..."
It was on a warm June day in 2018, 10 clicks northeast of Gao, Mali. My section was dropped off from a chinook to investigate a compound where the rebels were supposedly making IEDS. We had to walk about 20 clicks in the heat , following a ridge that was next to a dry river bed. We were about 2 clicks out when my bro spotted a radio tower in the distance. Intel was right for once. Lt got on comms to tell HQ what was going on when all hell broke loose. Suddenly mortars started raining down and we came under fire.
There was close to no shelter since that ridge was just a straight wall. One of the guys in the back spotted a foxhole about 100 meters west, so we opened fire. We were immediately met by return fire and I felt a sharp pain coming from my shoulder. I looked down and it went straight to my shoulder muscles and was bleeding a lot. I was dragged to a slightly better covered area where they started patching me up. I blacked out shortly after that.
"I was talking to a guy..."
I was talking to a guy just an hour ago who was a sniper in NATO forces in Somalia. He told me how he was shot by a 16 year-old while giving some spare bottles of water to some other kids. He said it felt like being hit with a mallet but without much pain, then he looked down and seen the hole in his body armor, took a few steps forward, then hiss brain just pulled the plug and he woke-up two days later in the base hospital. The round didn't penetrate, but due to internal injuries he was on his back for 5/6 months.
Can't Tell.
Most soldiers who have been shot don't feel it until they look at it, like many soldiers who have had their legs torn off don't notice it until they see that their leg isn't there.
LuckyWaffles121
In Depth...
Nothing, just a sight then the impact. They can't even feel the pain until after a couple moments. The heat of the battle keeps the going and we have to stop them to get them a medic. I know this post isn't that serious but just wanted to go in depth.
FSTNML
Sing Song Manner...
One time someone threw a Russian Anti-Tank Grenade at me and I def recall was a bizarre sort of resolve but mostly extreme irritation. I saw it coming but there was nothing I could do aside from call it out in what was apparently a much too Sing Song manner bc they thought I was kidding. I wasn't. Then it blew up and everybody was irritated.
DragonCat88
Under Fire.
While under fire you almost never realize that you took a hit it's after when things have calmed that you begin to feel it or someone points it out then it's instant and it sucks so if you are ever in a firefight and see someone get hit unless it needs immediate medical attention keep quiet about it till the fighting ends or their condition worsens.
Golskyn
Oh Crap.
I got hit 4 times on the chest and I didn't know what was happening until I was on the floor and couldn't use my arm to get up... Then I realized and thought... Oh crap.
NunaKhan
Try to Survive.
My grandfather was in a war (I don't remember which one) and he and his group were on patrol when they were ambushed. He was shot, and he was rushed back to camp. He wasn't supposed to survive, but he said that the one thing that went through his head when he was shot was the bullet.
Diamonds4days1
Punched.
At first it felt like a punch, like a fist hit me in the gut and I thought I might have been hit but I knew I needed to keep fighting or else I would get hit. I punched her in the face and she dropped the broom so I jumped on her, held her down until she calmed down and I convinced her I didn't know who Teresa was or why she was texting me at 2am.
Afterwards I got up and realized that she never shot me, only punched me in the stomach with the end of the broom handle but it still hurt and left a pretty good sized bruise so... it feels bad, I'm sure. Later the next morning at work I remembered Teresa was an old hook up that I had forgotten about. I called her and we're meeting up soon but just to catch up on old times, not for sex.
Bacore
Rigged.
Not a soldier but a courier, someone had my hands tied up and I was on my knees looking at him while he was talking, he had 2 of his buddies on each side of him, before he shot me, he said "truth is kid, the game was rigged from the start" he shot me and buried me, then a robot dug me up and carried me to a doctor and I survived with no injuries.
NoSkillxOverkill
The Bullet.
So I just wanna point something out. For those who keep saying 'the bullet,' the last I knew, most generally, you cant get shot in the head with a military grade weapon without having some major repercussions. So how are you alive to be typing the joke you think is so clever?
stretchedharpy