[gerald]

Two ring stories:
(1) Back in the '70's I was in a towed artillery unit in Panama. We were in the field and one of my gun chiefs jumped off the back of a truck. His wedding ring hung and jerked the ring finger off at the middle knuckle. I thought he was going to bleed to death before the MEDEVAC chopper got there to get him to the hospital. His biggest fear : Being able to continue to play the bag pipes without the missing finger.

(2) Two friends of mine were loading an old flathead Ford engine into the back of a truck. As the chain from the hoist payed out, the engine rolled to one side and caught one's finger (with ring attached) between it and the sidewall of the truck bed. Ring was crushed onto the finger. Pretty painful. I wasn't there, but the other friend told me that trying to hold the hurt guy still while he cut the ring off was like wrestling an eel.