Gen. David Petraeus: Life and Near-Death Experiences of Obama's Warrior

(CBS) Now that he's been picked by President Obama to replace General Stanley A. McChrystal as commander of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, General David H. Petraeus is heading into harm's way. He's been there before.

In fact, the famously fit four-star general is a bit of a medical miracle,  having survived not one, but two near death experiences.

In 2000, Petraeus shattered his pelvis when he made a hard landing after his parachute collapsed at low altitude, according to the U.S. Air Force website. Nine years earlier, during a 2001 live-fire training exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky., Petraeus was the victim of friendly fire, taking an M-16 round to the chest.

He was rushed to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. There, in an odd twist, he was treated by Dr. Bill Frist, who later left medical practice to join the U.S. Senate.

"Some out there may wonder what my qualifications are to offer assessments of our medics," Petraeus said last March during an address to Army medics, the website reported. "The fact is I'm quite qualified on the subject, having twice awakened to the caring eyes of an angel on the battlefield following life-threatening injuries."

To some it seems Petraeus has nine lives. To survive in Washington, he'll need them.