# Throwing a hand grenade **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 7, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-a-hand-grenade/612043 "2012-02-07T03:08:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-a-hand-grenade/612043/41 "2012-02-07T19:03:45Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Is this staged? In the second round of hot-potato, the final solder throws the package to the ground directly in front of him, and then the explosion appears to happen some 4-5 feet away, in the middle of the supposed blast pit. > > What is the point of such an exercise anyway? There’s a small opening directly in front of the soldier who drops it, I assume it then rolls into the main pit from that. No idea what the purpose of the exercise would be if genuine, possibly a means of building trust among comrades, but pretty extreme if it is. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-a-hand-grenade/612043/42 "2012-02-07T19:08:43Z")
Also smothering a grenade with a helmet isn’t always as bad an idea as you might think, this Medal of Honor recipient did it and is still alive to this day: > [@](#): > > BACA, JOHN P. > > Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. Place and date: Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam, 10 February 1970. Entered service at: Fort Ord, Calif. Born: 10 January 1949, Providence, R.I.. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Baca, Company D, distinguished himself while serving on a recoilless rifle team during a night ambush mission A platoon from his company was sent to investigate the detonation of an automatic ambush device forward of his unit’s main position and soon came under intense enemy fire from concealed positions along the trail. Hearing the heavy firing from the platoon position and realizing that his recoilless rifle team could assist the members of the besieged patrol, Sp4c. Baca led his team through the hail of enemy fire to a firing position within the patrol’s defensive perimeter. As they prepared to engage the enemy, a fragmentation grenade was thrown into the midst of the patrol. Fully aware of the danger to his comrades, Sp4c. Baca unhesitatingly, and with complete disregard for his own safety, covered the grenade with his steel helmet and fell on it as the grenade exploded, thereby absorbing the lethal fragments and concussion with his body. His gallant action and total disregard for his personal well-being directly saved 8 men from certain serious injury or death. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by Sp4c. Baca, at the risk of his life, are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-a-hand-grenade/612043/43 "2012-02-07T19:32:03Z")
A few years ago, thanks to modern body armor and dropping onto the grenade backpack-first instead of belly-first, a [British Marine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Croucher) survived covering a grenade with his body, receiving only a nosebleed and perforated eardrums. He was awarded the George Cross in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-a-hand-grenade/612043/44 "2012-02-07T23:00:06Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Also smothering a grenade with a helmet isn’t always as bad an idea as you might think, this Medal of Honor recipient did it and is still alive to this day: An one would think that the current Kevlar/composite helmets would be even better than the old steel pot at this. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-a-hand-grenade/612043/45 "2012-02-08T03:37:02Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > This really wasn’t in need of testing. The Army’s Center for Military History page has (or at least used to have) to full text of every Medal of Honor citation. If you scroll through them, particularly the ones in the Vietnam war, many, in fact dozens, were awarded to soldiers who sacrificed their lives by jumping on a live grenade to save their comrades. Yeah, but then again they’re going to give you a medal of conspicuous bravery for that sort of stuff _anyway_ :p. What else are they going to write, “Pvt Smith heroically curled around the grenade and was subsequently scattered over his entire platoon, which had opted for a more sensible course of action consisting in hitting the deck behind cover. That was remarkably retarded of Pvt Smith.” ? Having an controlled experimental data point is probably more definitive proof than a bunch of adrenalined up guys going “OMG he totally saved our lives !!” over and over, you know ? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-a-hand-grenade/612043.md?page=2)