Rose42

(Anther helluva guy )

When Chief Petty Officer Douglas “Mike” Day first entered a tiny room in a raid on high-level al Qaeda militants in Iraq’s Anbar province, April 6, 2007, a bullet slammed into his body armor from less than 10 feet away.

To Day, it felt like he was hit by a sledgehammer, he explained to CBN News. The ceramic plates in his body armor are only designed to sustain impact from one round. But somehow, his body armor remained intact as it stopped another bullet, and then nine more after that, 11 bullets in all.

“After I realized that I actually was getting shot, my second thought was, ‘God get me home to my girls, and then extreme anger,” Day told Fox News. “Then I just went to work. It was muscle memory. I just did what I was trained to do.”

But the bullets kept coming, and Day’s armor couldn’t stop them all. The enemy rounds eventually tore through every part of Day’s body, including his abdomen, all of his limbs, his groin, and his buttocks. Even the bullets that were stopped by his body armor damaged his ribs and lungs.

By the time it was over, Day had been shot 16 times from a distance of within 10 feet, not counting the 11 rounds stopped by his body armor. He also suffered grenade shrapnel wounds that knocked him unconscious.

But like his resilient body armor, Day didn’t fall apart. Not only did he not leave the fight, he won the fight. His Silver Star citation reads:

Despite multiple gunshot wounds, he continued to engage the enemy, t***sitioning to his pistol after the loss of his primary weapon, eliminating three enemy personnel without injury to the women and children in close proximity to the enemy personnel. Additionally, his decisive leadership and mental clarity in the face of his injuries ensured the success of the mission which resulted in the destruction of four enemy personnel and the recovery of sensitive United States military equipment and valuable intelligence concerning enemy activity in the area.

Before the firefight was over, a fellow SEAL was k**led by a gunshot wound to the neck, yet Day was miraculously able to walk to the medevac helicopter on his own two feet. He spent the next two years recovering from his injuries, and still suffers lingering pain on a daily basis.

Doctors have diagnosed Day with post-traumatic stress disorder, an injury he knows can be more severe than the worst physical wounds. “You lose a leg, you lose a leg. It’s a limb. You smash that brain around a little bit and who you are changes,” Day told CBN News.

At home, Day’s new mission is to help other veterans and civilians overcome traumatic brain injuries by raising funds to benefit customized treatment programs at the Brain Treatment Foundation, a nonprofit division of Carrick Brain Centers. To raise awareness of his efforts, Day swam, biked, and ran in a 70.3-mile half Ironman race April 12 in Florida, finishing with a time of 07:04:56. As of this week, Day has raised $88,075 through 1,113 donors on his CrowdRise Ironman funding webpage.

Retired from the Navy, Day now works as a full-time advocate for wounded veterans and their families with the advocacy company 9Line.

“The hand of God was on me, and I think I’m being directed now to use this story to tell people about it and use it to help other people,” Day told Fox News.

https://taskandpurpose.com/unsung-heroes-this-navy-seal-kept-fighting-after-getting-shot-27-times

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Indeed, another "hell'uva guy."

I salute and thank you for your service, CPO Douglas Day. May all your wounds heal completely.

"Some wounds can't be seen."

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

excellent post and I totally agree. People like CPO Douglas Day are the finest examples of human kind a d should be recognized as such

bggamers Loc: georgia

Thanks for posting I know all our military men and women active and retired have stories that we civilians would cring at and they all deserve everyone's respect and appreciation

billy a Loc: South Florida

Thank you,CPO Day.
When this guy said,"I said my first REAL prayer", I got God-bumps...anyone that has had this experience knows what I mean. God is a Gentleman; He needs to be invited.

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

SEAL's don't give up - ever - just like their counterparts in the Marine Corp, Army and Air Force.

Big dog

CPO Day, a true American. God bless.

Wonttakeitanymore

Amen! The Lord lifts people up to glorify himsel and love and help others! This man was chosen for that purpose! Jeremiah 29:11 tells us he has a plan for all of us! For good and not for evil to give us a future and a hope! Praise God! Another fine example!

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

No disrespect intended, but where did you get his quote of "I said my first REAL prayer?" I wouldn't doubt that he may very well have said that...but, from what source did you take the quote?

Rose42

Probably from this referenced article -

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2014/september/navy-seals-amazing-survival-god-get-me-home

"Upon entering that doorway, they all just opened up on me. It felt like somebody was just beating me up with sledge hammers," Day said.

"After I'd figured out I was getting shot I said, 'God, get me home to my girls.' That was my first prayer to God, real prayer, and He answered it," he added, fighting back tears.

It was a prayer to be reunited with his wife and daughters.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Thank you, Rose. I wasn't privy to that link.

Though it matters little in this case, quotes are supposed to be verbatim/exact.

But, it is most important that he made back to his family.

Wonttakeitanymore

It’s most important that God paved the way!

bahmer

Amen and Amen and that is our American fighting force I salute all of our men and women in the military.

Wonttakeitanymore

Me too bahm!! My daddy fought in Korea! He joined the army at 17! Had to get a letter from his mama! Shot twice and bomb fragments in his back! Good man, died when I graduated high school at 40!

Rose42

Referencing links aren’t highlighted in a copy and paste unfortunately.