Soldiers save women from burning building

ARNEWS ^ | Pfc. Amanda Merfeld

[SandRat]

UIJONGBU, South Korea (Army News Service, July 6, 2006) – Two Camp Red Cloud Soldiers saved an elderly woman and her handicapped daughter when a sandwich shop caught fire just outside the camp's front gate July 1.

Pvt. Reid Erickson and Pvt. Russell McCanless Jr. of Headquarters and Headquarters Support Company, Special Troops Battalion, were first on the scene when New York Sub sandwich shop caught fire.

“We walked out of 7 Club to see whether or not I could do handstand pushups, and when I was doing them I noticed something behind us,” Erickson said. Standing and turning around, he saw smoke coming from the shop.

Rushing to the fire, they tried opening the glass door to the sandwich shop to find it hot and locked. The Soldiers then sought assistance at a Korean Police booth outside the gate.

“We realized when we came back that there was an apartment upstairs and rang the buzzer,” Erickson said. “Finally an elderly lady came downstairs and she didn’t speak English. The only thing she could say is ‘Come in! Come in!’ She was pretty frantic about it, so we ran upstairs.”

Upstairs, the elderly woman pointed toward a bedroom behind thick smoke.

“She pointed toward the bedroom and her daughter came crawling out. She was paralyzed,” Erickson said.

By the time the Soldiers got both women downstairs via an external stairwell on the side of the building, the paramedics and fire department had already arrived.

Despite the danger, both Soldiers put aside their fears to help others in need.

“In basic training they taught us to react to contact,” McCanless said. “Plus, I was in the Boy Scouts and they taught us to always do the right thing.”

(Editor’s note: Pfc. Amanda Merfeld writes for the 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office.)

[SandRat]

Brave troops Exhibit true American Values; one cites his training to always do the right thing to the Boy Scouts.

Boy is the ACLU is going to hate that.

[NormsRevenge]

Special Troops Battalion indeed.

Kudos to both soldiers for the quick and lifesaving action.

[MPJackal]

“Plus, I was in the Boy Scouts and they taught us to always do the right thing.”

I thought the Boy Scouts motto was "Be Prepared"? Nice story about Soldiers for a change. Oh wait it's about Soldiers not Marines. That explains it. Go Army.

(Just pokin' fun at my USMC buddies, so nobody get yer knickers in a wad)

[SandRat]

falls under two points of the 12 points of the Scout Law -Helpful and Brave.

[knarf]

" .. The Soldiers then sought assistance at a Korean Police booth outside the gate. "

It's still there? ..

51st Sig. Bn. - '65 - '66