It looks like it went through a bone. Glad you’re still with us. What was the circumstances?
Glad to talk about it, if it’ll help you avoid a similar experience.
On July 14, 1974, my fiancee and I attended premiere opening of ‘People’ magazine in West Palm Bch, FL. We
went to Tropical Acres Restaurant, landmark prime rib restaurant, in next door Boynton Bch, for dinner with
several celebs and mag photogs, and when leaving, were jumped in the parking lot, by 2 ‘hood’ junkies w/ ‘Sat
Night Special’ .32cal revolver.
I was unarmed, kicked gun out of lowlife’s hand, and ran to protect fiancee from other guy w/ knife, and
first guy got the gun back from underneath nearby car, and shot me from 15-20ft.
Just as he shot, I spun sideways and bullet entered my L/S, just under trouser’s belt line. It lifted me up and threw me back 5-6ft. I had an ‘out-of-body experience’, saw cops and medics arriving from ‘floating up in the air’, woke-up in the ambulance in pkg lot, but medics couldn’t find a bullet hole or any blood. Wound closed-up and didn’t bleed externally. They released me and we went down to police station to put a facial sketch together w/ police artist.
My side was hurting, so after sketch was complete, we left for home in Miami, and as I was getting undressed for bed, saw a large red lump, size of 1/2 grapefruit w/ black dot in center, on my left hip, went over to sink and threw-up. She called South Miami hospital, they had trauma ctr ready when she drove me there, and they x-rayed and scoped me: no bones, arteries, nerves, veins etc hit. My thigh muscle stopped .32 just 1/8” from lower spine coccyx.
Trauma ctr Doc said I was “luckiest SOB he’d seen in 20yrs”; that normally I’d have bled-out in pkg lot, with
guts torn to shreds by tumbling small caliber round, but that “God was truly sitting on my shoulder that night, and was saving me for something and some reason”.
I still have a copy of the x-ray framed, and have had another taken in 2008, for a minor back injury. Docs
came running back into room screaming about me being shot; they saw bullet, but I explained it all. No cops
called since it was an old wound.
Ever since, I’ve been very ***situationally aware (OPSEC)*** of everyone and everything; not quite hyper-
vigilant, but close to it. My mind is 10 steps ahead of anything I might walk into, but I’m always looking
360 degrees and scoping-out possible bad spots or situations, and a quick reaction to anything.
I carry a Kimber 1911 .45cal ACP:
http://www.kimberamerica.com/1911/eclipse-ii/eclipse-target-ii
w/ 230gr hollow-points in a quick release Galco paddle holster, and won’t hesitate to use it.
Moral: I’d rather have it and not need it, than not have it and need it.