SGT Shawn Snyder - Sniper Headshot Stopped By Kevlar

Posted By Blackfive

Below is the story of one of the luckiest Sergeants you'll hear about...

HEADSHOT
Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski
133d Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

TIKRIT, IRAQ (December 6, 2005) - For many Soldiers, the Kevlar helmet is a necessary evil, it can be cumbersome when in the dining facility trying to handle a tray of food and it causes headaches and tension in the neck when worn on lengthy missions.

Sgt. Shawn Snyder of 3^rd Infantry Division’s 2/7 Scout Platoon is one Soldier who will never complain about wearing his helmet again. With good reason, it saved his life.

Snyder’s mission was to serve as a escort of an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) detail to an examination building so that they could pick up explosives that the Iraqi people found.

“What we do is block off each end of the street so that they [EOD] can go in and pick the stuff up,” Snyder said.

Snyder was standing up in the turret scanning his sector and waving off traffic for about 15 minutes when it happened. He recalled hearing a shot and feeling “a little jerk.”

Snyder quickly called out to his driver and team commander (TC) to ask who was firing. Then he saw the Kevlar particles flying around so he jumped down in the vehicle and wondered if he was dying.

Snyder removed his Kevlar and felt around on his head ... there was no blood. The round, most likely a 7.62 mm from a sniper rifle ricocheted off the upper left side of the helmet, shredding the outside and slightly cracking the inside.

“I didn’t get a concussion, didn't even get a headache,” Snyder said in a matter of fact tone.

Snyder is married with a 13-month-old boy. When the 25-year-old Snyder told his wife what had happened, “she took it as best as a wife could, knowing a round almost killed her husband a month before he got home,” he said.

He will get to keep the helmet when he returns to Fort Stewart Ga., in less than a month as a memento of an event that will never be forgotten.

---

Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
Join us!

Comments

SGT Shawn Snyder - Sniper Headshot Stopped By Kevlar

Below is the story of one of the luckiest Sergeants you'll hear about...

HEADSHOT
Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski
133d Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

TIKRIT, IRAQ (December 6, 2005) - For many Soldiers, the Kevlar helmet is a necessary evil, it can be cumbersome when in the dining facility trying to handle a tray of food and it causes headaches and tension in the neck when worn on lengthy missions.

Sgt. Shawn Snyder of 3^rd Infantry Division’s 2/7 Scout Platoon is one Soldier who will never complain about wearing his helmet again. With good reason, it saved his life.

Snyder’s mission was to serve as a escort of an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) detail to an examination building so that they could pick up explosives that the Iraqi people found.

“What we do is block off each end of the street so that they [EOD] can go in and pick the stuff up,” Snyder said.

Snyder was standing up in the turret scanning his sector and waving off traffic for about 15 minutes when it happened. He recalled hearing a shot and feeling “a little jerk.”

Snyder quickly called out to his driver and team commander (TC) to ask who was firing. Then he saw the Kevlar particles flying around so he jumped down in the vehicle and wondered if he was dying.

Snyder removed his Kevlar and felt around on his head ... there was no blood. The round, most likely a 7.62 mm from a sniper rifle ricocheted off the upper left side of the helmet, shredding the outside and slightly cracking the inside.

“I didn’t get a concussion, didn't even get a headache,” Snyder said in a matter of fact tone.

Snyder is married with a 13-month-old boy. When the 25-year-old Snyder told his wife what had happened, “she took it as best as a wife could, knowing a round almost killed her husband a month before he got home,” he said.

He will get to keep the helmet when he returns to Fort Stewart Ga., in less than a month as a memento of an event that will never be forgotten.

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341bfadb53ef00d8345c1d9c69e2

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference SGT Shawn Snyder - Sniper Headshot Stopped By Kevlar:

» Friday Linkzookery - 10 Feb 2006 from Murdoc Online
Legendary battleship resurfaces in miniature Good article on Asahi.com about the Yamato set built for "Otokotachi no Yamato". Anyone know if/when the film is going... [Read More]