Quote Originally Posted by HoreTore View Post
That's a great example to use. If I remember correctly, it was an american soldier on patrol in Iraq, right?

So, the question is why did he throw himself on that grenade? It must be assumed that it was an instinctive action, I can't imagine him thinking anything, much less weighing the options. Was it a special character trait, or was it something that many others, if not most, would have done if put in that same situation?
There was a British Marine who calmly lay down on top of an IED in Iraq - he calculated that he would probably survive as he was wearing his large pack - he did.

But only just, if he had laid slightly lower, one of the fragments would have gone through his neck.

Then there's the guy who went back into he APC to pull his section clear while it was being strafed by an American A-10. Got the George Cross for that one, as Americans aren't the "enemy".