Share
Commentary

Soldier Tears Off Own Leg, Helps Crewmates After Gory Tank Crash

Share

A U.S. soldier in the middle of a violent tank accident tore off his own leg to bring help to his fellow crew members.

The incident that left Army Spc. Ezra Maes learning how to walk with a prosthetic leg happened one year ago, according to the Department of Defense.

Maes, a loader on an M1A2 Abrams tank, was deployed to Poland last year as part of the Atlantic Resolve training mission.

Maes and his crewmates were eventually rotated to Slovakia as part of the training. While on a field operation there, the soldiers hunkered down to sleep in their tank one evening. Sometime in the night, the 65-ton war machine began moving on its own.

“I called out to the driver, ‘Step on the brakes!'” Maes told the DoD. “But he shouted back that it wasn’t him.”

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

“We realized there was nothing else we could do and just held on,” he said.

A hydraulic failure rendered emergency brakes on the tank useless. The armored giant was accelerating at a dangerous pace, nearing the 90 mph mark before slamming into an embankment.

Inside the cramped vehicle, the abrupt stop caused devastation.

The tank’s gunner suffered a gash that was pouring blood. The driver’s back was broken.

Did Maes' actions save his crewmates' lives?

Maes was stuck, his leg jammed into a turret mechanism.

In freeing himself, he lost his leg.

“I pushed and pulled at my leg as hard as I could to get loose and felt a sharp tear,” he recalled. “I thought I had dislodged my leg, but when I moved away, my leg was completely gone.”

Now bleeding out from a serious injury, Maes tried scrambling to the tank’s medical kit. The effects of blood loss began to sap him before he ever reached the life-saving gear, however.

“All I could think about was no one knows we’re down here,” he said. “Either I step up or we all die.”

Related:
Man Charged in Connection with NYPD Officer's Death Gets an Earful from New Yorkers During Perp Walk

After a quick reflection, Maes used his own belt as a tourniquet to slow the heavy bleeding. Once he and another crew member were no longer in immediate danger of bleeding out, they attempted to radio for help before discovering their communications equipment was broken.

Then, the sound of Maes’ cellphone ringing filled the tank. In the middle of a Slovakian training ground, he had reception. The crew worked together to pass the phone to Maes, who unlocked it and contacted a friend.

Thanks to their quick thinking, all three of the crew members inside the tank survived.

Our military’s top-notch training prepared these soldiers for the most difficult moment of their lives, and their own strength and determination pulled them through.

While others might have given in to panic, these warriors remained calm and lived to see another day.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Share
Jared has written more than 200 articles and assigned hundreds more since he joined The Western Journal in February 2017. He was an infantryman in the Arkansas and Georgia National Guard and is a husband, dad and aspiring farmer.
Jared has written more than 200 articles and assigned hundreds more since he joined The Western Journal in February 2017. He is a husband, dad, and aspiring farmer. He was an infantryman in the Arkansas and Georgia National Guard. If he's not with his wife and son, then he's either shooting guns or working on his motorcycle.
Location
Arkansas
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Military, firearms, history




Conversation