Posted on 10/17/2005 6:21:42 PM PDT by SandRat
10/17/2005 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- When thrust into a surreal situation, three Airmen here stepped up and showed that people can do extraordinary things.
It was around 1 a.m. Oct. 16 when Senior Airmen Brooke and Marc Llafet and Matt Ritchie were driving home from Fort Walton Beach, Fla. In the car with them were Airman Marc Llafet's sister and her friend.
Before they got to Highway 98, Airman Ritchie saw a large truck ahead of them swerving all over the road. He pointed it out to the others.
"This guy was driving recklessly," said Airman Brooke Llafet, who works at the legal office. "We could tell that he (had been drinking). I handed Marc my cell phone to dial 911."
They followed the truck while talking with a 911 dispatcher. Airman Marc Llafet gave them information on the truck and where they were going. As they were about to turn onto Highway 98, the truck driver turned to the left too sharply.
"He hit the curb in the median and ended up in the oncoming lanes," said Airman Ritchie, of the 325th Contracting Squadron. "He overcorrected to the right and almost swiped a pole. He tried to correct his turn again and that's when he hit a Mazda in the oncoming lanes."
The car spun around as the large truck ran into the cement wall of the bridge they were crossing. The Airmen stopped the car about 40 yards behind the accident scene and immediately jumped out to help.
"What irritated me the most was that we were trying to make sure this didn't happen," Airman Marc Llafet said. He is a security forces troop with the 325th Security Forces Squadron. "But we had to watch as the worst-case scenario unfolded."
After getting out of their car, the three Airmen split up and took control of the situation. Airman Ritchie began checking the vehicles for fires or leaking fuel. Airman Marc Llafet stayed on the phone with 911 and fed them information as he surveyed the vehicles and the accident scene.
Airman Brooke Llafet, once an Air Force emergency medical technician, ran over to the vehicle and helped the accident victim.
"The woman was in and out of consciousness and bleeding," she said. "I checked her pulse and her breathing. She was in shock. All she could say was, 'Help me.'
"I told myself, 'You have a job to do -- You can lose it later. Keep it together now.'"
While she was working with the woman, the truck driver ran. Airman Ritchie chased him.
"He was about half-way across the bridge when I took off after him," he said. "He was almost out of sight."
Airman Ritchie chased the driver over the bridge. But in the darkness, he lost him on the other side. The police arrived and continued the search.
Back at the accident scene, the police and emergency medical technicians arrived and took over. The Airmen filled reports and drove home.
The next day, they received a phone call from the Fort Walton Police Department. The police said the accident victim thanked them for their help. The Airmen visited the woman that same night and brought her flowers. She had broken legs, and had internal injuries. She had not been wearing a seatbelt.
Airman Ritchie said people must be willing to lend a hand in such situations.
"You might save a life,” he said. “And, someone might be helping you someday."
"I don't want recognition," Airman Brooke Llafet said. "I want people to remember to not drink and drive, and make sure to wear your seatbelt."
Airman Marc Llafet echoed his wife's sentiments. As Airmen they have a double duty.
"We all promised to protect our nation. That's not just in the battlefield, but in everyday life," he said.
(Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service)
Real American Heroes at home and abroad!
God bless the boys in blue!
/john
Amen!
If anybody deserves that medal, they do. Happy to see airmen doing good things.
"We all promised to protect our nation. That's not just in the
battlefield, but in everyday life," he said. <<<
Wonderful people, glad they are wearing our uniforms.
Wish this was front page news on every newspaper.
Gunny, do you have these heroes on your Hero page?
All I can say is: Makin' me proud to wear the same uniform!
BTTT
The AF does not have a life saving medal per se. It does have the Airman's Medal. Criteria for this medal is similar to the Soldier's Medal and the Sailor's Medal. Basically, the criteria is that you save, or attempt to save, someone's life at the risk of your own.
I wonder why this is from Tyndall as it clearly happened near Eglin?. My Daddy worked at Tyndall until a layoff and then got back on at Eglin where he worked until retirement.
Not that I've heard
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