European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 21, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sgt. 1st class Tarry Crighton a motor Sargeant lost his  in a uptight on fab. 26.smmmi the hmm Cuianu b  Vince Crawley Nurnberg Bureau sgt. 1st class Terry Crighton lost his  on feb. 26 during a 2 . Rainstorm somewhere on the front lines of Iraq. The 36-year-old motor sergeant was inside his armoured personnel Carrier talking on the radio when he was engulfed by an explosion. Quot the blast hit me it just slammed me Quot said Crighton who a from Nana Kuli Hawaii. Quot if i was made out of play dough i d have been smeared All across the Back Hatch. It was real violent i Don t know How to describe it. It s like Sparks Metal just went in a counter clockwise rotation inside of the vehicle. Sparks. Metal.  and Crighton. Later at the Hospital doctors pulled pieces of a radio and cassette tapes out of his body. Quot one Guy asked me what was i trying to tape Quot Crighton joked. He ended up losing his left  at the Elbow. Although recent Pentagon announcements confirmed that nearby troops were shot by Friendly fire Crighton believes his personnel Carrier was shot by an enemy Soldier probably someone using a hand launched russian Reg anti tank rocket. The explosion and subsequent Whirlpool of Sparks Metal and junk took place in a matter of a second and a half Crighton said. For the next four hours he and the other survivor sgt Randy Willey Lay outside in the cold rain keeping each other alive until they were rescued at Dawn Quot basically we pulled each other through Quot Willey said. Quot that night we were not two individual soldiers. We were together that night. We were Brothers that night. Were still  after they were hit Crighton found himself lying near the Back Hatch of the personnel Carrier. One of the sleeping bags was ablaze and his left  was on top of it in the fire. Quot i tried to move it Quot he said. Quot and it just did no to move so i reached in the fire and grabbed hold of my hand. Flames came up and got me right in the  the flare up left him partially Blind for the rest of the night. A month later his face still looked raw and weather beaten like a Man who d spent too Many years in the Sun. Then Crighton said Quot everything got real quiet it Felt like i was getting  a couple of i and he Woken me and thei of times when h longer than i that have been. So i _ a what s up is other through/1 suddenly there was a second explosion the top hatches blew open. The Back ramp slammed Down and All was quiet again.  to stand up he crawled out and went about 150 feet before he dropped into the dark wet Sand still inside Wiley Lay unconscious. The vehicle s Driver Chi. James Mccoy was dead. At the moment of the explosion Willey recalled hearing a Quot distinctly metallic  then his body Quot basically Wen  Willey a 28-year-old  from Shelbyville miss., was standing in the commanders Hatch on top of the m-113 personnel Carrier. The explosion he said tried to blow him upward and out of the Hatch. But the .50-caliber machine gun had broken from its mount and Quot commenced to push me Back  the machine gun shoved him deep inside near the Heater and he thinks he was knocked unconscious for two to three minutes. Waking up the first thing he saw was the sleeping bag on fire. Crighton had already crawled out into the night. Willey could t move his left  and head been showered with shrapnel. Doctors later found a piece of Metal that had come within one eighth of an Inch from severing his spine his a funny Bone Quot nerve was severed causing him to permanently lose the feeling in his left . His eyeglasses had been blown from his face. Quot i could t feel anything a Willey said Quot i was numb All Over. Then i started calling for sgt. C. And  Crighton yelled that he was outside behind the vehicle. But Willey said Quot i got no answer from  so he went Forward to Check on Mccoy and found him dead. Quot the medics told me the next morning that he died instantly in the  Mccoy had been Cut in half. Quot Willey also smothered out the fire. Then because he could t walk he Low crawled Back to Crichlon. Quot were you hit Quot Crighton asked. Quot yeah Quot Willdy said. Quot How re you Quot a a in mall messed up a Crighton answered. His burned  had been badly fractured. Shrapnel wounds covered his body. Also his eyes Felt like they had Sand in them and he could t hold them open. Later he found out the irritation was caused by Burns. Willie searching for water returned to the personnel Carrier a i could t operate my left hand Quot he said. Quot my left leg was numb and my right leg Shakey so i could t stand  the water Jug however was strapped on top of he vehicle. After spending a Long time fumbling for it he hoisted himself up with his Good hand and managed to pull the Jug Down on top of himself. Then he searched for his eyeglasses but could t. Find them. His extra pair had also been wrecked in the explosion. And he  find a flashlight. The vehicle engine was still idling. In fact with its dead Driver it had still crept Forward about 150 feet. So Willey found the emergency fuel switches and shut them off. One of the two medical kits had been blown up in the explosion but Willie took the second one with him. Then he dragged the water Jug Back Over to Crighton. The motor sergeant s ruined  was t bleeding much because of the Burn. Willey patched a Hole in his leg and checked a couple of shrapnel spots on his Back. The one that Hurt Crighton the most was a wound on his Side. He tried sitting but it Hurt so bad that he gave up. Willey tried to give him an intravenous injection. In a situation like this you really Don t think Quot he said. So i got the Needle and the line out and i Wasny to even thinking about what i was doing. It just came natural. I went to get the in bags and Check them out. And the i Don t have for the decision even if we had own Guyot bad feelings. Be How Chanhc it we a sgt Stem Page 14 a the stars and Stripe wednesday tog