US Marine too badass to die

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**AustonT**

This is epic, because he survived not because he was shot. But still fething epic. Plugged the bullet holes with his fingers!

A U.S. Marine veteran is recovering from a Craigslist transaction gone bad in which he was shot and then forced to plug the wounds with this fingers, benefiting from a military background that police say possibly saved his life.

"Thank God that I'm here," Lt. Col. Karl Trenker told ABC News' Miami affiliate WPLG-TV from his hospital bed in Florida. "I could very easily not have survived this."

Trenker, 48, had arranged to meet with a Craigslist buyer in Miramar under the name "Galven" who he believed was interested in buying a men's chain necklace his fiancee had posted on the online marketplace.

Trenker thought he was meeting the man in a well-populated plaza, but it turned out to be an apartment complex. He met two men outside on Dec. 21 and showed them the necklace.

"He just picked it up, looked at it and then just started running. I said, 'Listen, we can just drop this now. You set that thing on the ground, walk away, we're done. Police are going to be on their way in a minute,'" Trenker said.

Instead of dropping the necklace, the two men took off running and Trenker pursued them for several blocks before one of the suspects, Jeff Steele, "turned and fired several shots at him," according to a Broward County Sheriff's Office police report.

"I got shot. I didn't know I was shot as many times as I was shot," Trenker said. "I felt the one go into my chest and then one through my abdomen."

Trenker was hit three or four times and shot at four or five times, Broward County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Dani Moschella said.

"I put my finger in the bullet holes, the big ones, and then I ran back to the car and I made sure the kids were OK and I told them, 'Listen, Dad's been shot. There's an ambulance already on the way,'" Trenker said.

Police said four of Trenker's seven children were in the car and witnessed the alleged robbery and the chase, but not the alleged shooting.

"He called me and said, 'Honey, I've been shot,'" Trenker's fiancee, Tanya Saiz, told WPLG. "I nearly fainted. He saved my life. That would have been me."

Saiz had originally been the one who was planning to meet the purported customer.

Trenker is amazed that after recently returning from a tour of duty in Iraq, he would be injured in his own hometown. "I can't believe this. I go to Iraq, I go to Afghanistan and here I am at home, shot," Trenker said. "It's inconceivable. I don't know how that they can put so little value on life."

Fiancee Saiz told WPLG, "He's been shelled with artillery and survived that, so for this scrawny, skinny little kid to come in and take his necklace, he didn't know the guy was armed.

"If there ever was a time to believe in miracles, this was it, because this was our miracle."

Moschella emphasized that authorities discourage people involved in robberies to pursue thieves. She said that is best left up to law enforcement.

"He could have been killed and that gold chain, of course, isn't worth your life," Moschella said. "This isn't your average victim. His good physical condition and military training may have helped save his life."

Within hours, police had arrested three suspects. Steele, 20, and James Flounory, 20, were each charged with one count of attempted murder and two counts of robbery with a firearm. The third suspect, Andre Gayle, 20, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of marijuana.

Flounory and Steele are in jail without bond and Gayle is out of custody.

**Sasori**

That's nuts. I think the real lesson here is be careful with Craigslist.

**FabricatorGeneralMike**

Just goes to show that old jar-heads are to stupid to die.

[/sarcasm]

Just remember that when you get to heaven, Gods honour guards will be made up of USMC. Semper Fi.

I am glad he is alright, and I hope these injuries do not ruin his career with the corps.

**nels1031**

Sasori wrote:That's nuts. I think the real lesson here is be careful with Craigslist.

Ya, seriously.

Few times I did Craiglists transactions I made sure it was at the parking lot of the State Police Barracks down the street from me. Keeps criminal tomfoolery to an absolute minimum*. I recommend anyone who uses Craiglists to do something similiar. And never ever arrange it at your house!

**Monster Rain**

I always meet people at my local Starbucks.

If that's a problem, they don't get to buy what I'm selling.

**AustonT**

The real message here is don't live in Miami...

**Cannerus_The_Unbearable**

At least he passed his Feel No Pain.

**daedalus**

Monster Rain wrote:I always meet people at my local Starbucks.

If that's a problem, they don't get to buy what I'm selling.

Hmm. Only a deal if you throw in a Caramel Apple Cider.

The two times I've used Craigslist, I've always met in a parking lot of a well-populated grocery store. It's a little odd, but for the kind of things I've bought, the inside of a Starbucks doesn't work all that well. I mean, the staff there would probably get uppity if you tried to test a neon sign transformer out of one of their power jacks.

**Samus_aran115**

Woah woah woah, this is too cool. He's one tough leatherneck, for sure. The way he talks about it is just so smooth and badass.

Reminds me of the major in thirty minutes or less

Also. Am I the only one who takes a weapon whenever I meet strange people on the internet? I would imagine that a marine (not to mention an officer) would be sensible enough to see the possible threat there...

**streamdragon**

That's really freakin bad-ass, but I thought you were talking about Michael Burghardt, the man who took a bomb to the crotch and all it did was piss him off.

**KingCracker**

Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:At least he passed his Feel No Pain.

3 times even.

Personally, for that very reason, I would of just let them run, and gave a detailed description of the guys to the police.

**WARORK93**

.

**AustonT**

KingCracker wrote:
Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:At least he passed his Feel No Pain.

3 times even.

Personally, for that very reason, I would of just let them run, and gave a detailed description of the guys to the police.

I don't mean this as a crack at you even though it sounds like it:
That's probably why you aren't a Marine officer.

**Bromsy**

The only part of this story that surprises me is that some punk, running away, was able to hit with three or four of four or five shots.

**Tyyr**

On the run even, that' s damn impressive shooting.

**Ahtman**

AustonT wrote:
KingCracker wrote:
Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:At least he passed his Feel No Pain.

3 times even.

Personally, for that very reason, I would of just let them run, and gave a detailed description of the guys to the police.

I don't mean this as a crack at you even though it sounds like it:
That's probably why you aren't a Marine officer.

Spoiler:

He isn't a Marine Officer becuase he isn't stupid enough to attempt widow his wife and leave his kids fatherless over a necklace? Or is it the inability to tell the difference between bravery and foolishness? To distinguish being in a combat zone and being at home? I'm glad he survived and he is a tough guy, but it also could have just as easily gone the other way with him bleeding to death in front of his kids. Are the hospital bills going to more or less than the necklace's value?* What if he hadn't died but was just paralyzed in a capacity? What if they had ran past his car where his kids where when they started shooting and one of them had been hit? Would that have been worth the necklace? He chased them for several blocks while leaving his children in a car alone to chase some idiots. If he was incapacitated do you think the USMC would be happy to lose a good officer becuase he wanted to play civilian cop over some jewelry?

Obliviously I have mixed feelings on the incident. I'm happy he is alive and that they caught the guys, but I can't help but feel he made the macho choice, but not the smart choice, and regardless of jokes made, Marines are expected to think and use situational awareness and determine appropriate action and I'm not sure chasing armed thugs while your kids are waiting in the car is the right one. On a gut level it feels good but it would if the more likely headline of "Marine shot to death over necklace" would seem like a huge waste. If he was stopping someone from hurting someone else in some capacity it would have been worth the risk, but a necklace?

I imagine there is an aspect of it where relief becomes frustration: we are mad they made us worry in the first place. For example if you have ever had a spouse/significant other/child show up late and you couldn't get in touch with them and when they get in they are "lol lost track of time and forgot I had a phone" at first you are relieved that they are ok, but then you get pissed that they made you worry, then you know what that sensation is like. I read the article and I am relieved he is ok, then I am pissed he put took that chance. I imagine his wife had that moment as well after she found out he was going to be ok.

*Will his military health insurance/VA cover this? I would hate to see being shot compounded by being swamped in debt.

**Samus_aran115**

I'd like to believe the VA will pay for his medical bills. He might be awarded some money for damages from the criminals... Maybe? I'm unfamiliar with the law, lol.

This guy is 48, so I'm sure he has a pension.

**Byte**

My wife told me about this. Man, poor dude. I do a lot of stuff on Craigslist...

**rockerbikie**

That is cool but the Australian Marines are generally better than most American Marines.

**Ahtman**

rockerbikie wrote:That is cool but the Australian Marines are generally better than most American Marines.

Please don't spam the forum. Thanks! ~Manchu

**mattyrm**

Ahtman wrote:
rockerbikie wrote:That is cool but the Australian Marines are generally better than most American Marines.

Please don't spam the forum. Thanks! ~Manchu

**Samus_aran115**

rockerbikie wrote:That is cool but the Australian Marines are generally better than most American Marines.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No.

**SilverMK2**

It is a good thing that you can buy guns in the USA to protect yourself from some madman chasing after you in the street... wait a second...

**The Foot**

Anytime my wife buys something on craigslist me and her brother go. It is mostly for the intimidation factor since he is just freaking big and apparently I look prepetually pissed.

**mattyrm**

The Foot wrote: It is mostly for the intimidation factor since he is just freaking big and apparently I look prepetually pissed.

You must get loads of ugly chicks trying it on with you all the time..

Envy!

**The Foot**

Actually no woman hit on me...I'm sad now...

**Private_Joker**

rockerbikie wrote:That is cool but the Australian Marines are generally better than most American Marines.

Australian "Marines" don't exist, not until 2014... I still believe in fast deployable paratroops anyway in comparison to a slow moving expensive navy. But there is a huge need for an amphibious ready element considering we are a island nation surrounded by water

Back to the original topic it seems like a rather American gung ho approach to life. Maybe he needed that necklace so bad it was worth his life considering he had seven kids to feed geeze

**Ensis Ferrae**

Private_Joker wrote:
Back to the original topic it seems like a rather American gung ho approach to life. Maybe he needed that necklace so bad it was worth his life considering he had seven kids to feed geeze

As a light bird, there is no plausible reason why he would need to get rid of the necklace "so bad it was worth his life"... Still, I bet he could be getting a ton of money, should the perps be found and drug to court.

**Doklunggraba**

As I was reading, I was really hoping I would read "He put his fingers in the bullet holes and got up and kept presuing the man, after a few minutes, Trenker then cought up to the man and tackled him to the ground. After opening a can of whoop ass on the punk, he got his neckless back and then said some whitty remark to the idiot just to add a bit of SPICE!"

Was I close?

Automatically Appended Next Post:

rockerbikie wrote:That is cool but the Australian Marines are generally better than most American Marines.

HA!... HAHAHAHAHHAH... *coughs*... AHHAHHAHAHHAHAHA. Ok bud Why dont you and your badass ozzy marines go and declare war on the U.S. of A and see how far that gets you? mhmmm

**Pacific**

Can't help but feel this gives the wrong message..

Guy I knew, pretty big and played rugby at a professional level, got mugged when he was walking home. Rather than just hand over his wallet he took the guy on, got hit round the head by a brick and ended up losing an eye.

This could easily have gone badly, rather than being portrayed as a hero or a badass, he should be portrayed as a very lucky meat-head.

And WTF with American gun laws, which really exacerbates anything like this.