Clarksville U.S. Army recruiters help save lives after crash involving 7 vehicles

KoB sends in this story of quick action on the part of some Army recruiters. WKRN reports;

A group of U.S. Army recruiters in Clarksville [Tennessee] put their combat-tested skills to good use after a crash involving seven vehicles in the 3000 block of Wilma Rudolph Blvd.

The crash happened Monday right outside of their recruiting station.

“We could tell that it was a very serious crash immediately and some guys screamed obscenities because of their reaction; it was just kind of spur of the moment,” said Sgt. 1st Class Hector Santos.

Eight recruiters were in the office when the crash happened. Most of them have been deployed overseas and have been serving for more than a decade.

“It appeared rehearsed,” said Sgt. Santos. “Different recruiters went to different vehicles spreading out like ants and everybody started working on people that needed help. It was awesome to do and awesome to see that selflessness.”

“None of us hesitated,” said Staff Sgt. Amber Young. “Every single one of us was out in the road and we weren’t looking to see what vehicles were coming. We started to pan the area to see what we could do.”

One of the drivers involved was Josh Cozart, an employee of Greenfield Pavement Coatings. The moment of impact was caught on his dash camera.

“It’s kind of traumatizing to a sense to see that big vehicle coming at you with no regards, it was like I was a sitting duck,” Cozart said. “I have the visual pretty well in my head and I try not to look at the video too much.”

Josh started to panic, but little did he know heroes were watching close by.

Three to four recruiters are seen in the video working together to smash the windshield open to pull Cozart out.

“Those guys just came out there super fast, going above and beyond their expectations outside of just being in the army,” Cozart said. “It just shows their character and their morals and values and their willingness to just be outside of the army not just fighting, but to help.”

Cozart was taken to the hospital, but was released the same day. He is still pulling out pieces of glass days later and has back pain. He is grateful his injuries weren’t worse.

“We thank you for your service,” Cozart said. “We are in a military town and you just don’t see what they do behind the scenes and I want to thank them, tell them to bless them in their journey in life and keep on telling them to do the right thing.”

Each recruiter is humbled by the recognition.

“It just feels like I helped somebody and I feel like uniform or not, if I was the driver my fellow Americans would come aid me,” said Sgt. Santos. “When people say ‘thank you for your service,’ I get kind of awkward about it and just say thank you for your support and kind of walk away.”

“We are just so proud of everyone and just as a team; we all separated and divided and conquered,” said Staff Sgt. Young.

Clarksville police tell News 2 no other serious injuries were reported. They were unable to confirm how many people were involved and what types of vehicles. Police did say a Clarksville city bus was one of the vehicles in the crash.

BZ recruiters. Now how many slots did you fill while you were out there goldbricking on the highway and not actually recruiting? There’s some video and photos at the link. At least one soldier is not wearing his cover. Sarn’t Major is not going to be pleased…I bet they even walked on the grass instead of following the sidewalk.

Category: Army, Bravo Zulu, Guest Link, Real Soldiers