Notable warrant!
Warrant Officer Zarah Dimond works for the Cyberspace Defense Command. Already, you have the image – warrant? Computer nerd? Lord save us, can she make it from a distant parking space into the office with a laptop without resting? (Usedta be I would have said clipboard, but I’m old.) But you have the cliche in mind?
Well, kiss it goodbye.
The cyberspace defense soldier had arrived a day early at the Colorado Springs Colorado Hilton Garden Inn to attend a defensive cyber operations symposium at Fort Carson from her home station at Fort Stewart, Georgia where she serves with Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, according to an Army release.
At first, she thought the smoke smell must be the car — maybe it was the heater.
Then she looked up and saw people exiting a small business complex next door in a cloud of smoke.
Unless someone is doing some community doobie (and it is Colorado here) that ain’t good. So she started asking folks if there was a fire, and they said yes.
She climbed over the railing and jumped onto a garbage can below before she got to the ground and began running toward the structure.
“As I’m banging on the doors, I find a man stumbling his way through the hallway,” Dimond said. “I grabbed him by the arm and guided him towards the door to get him outside.”
Dimond went back into the burning building, gathering more people and leading a second person outside.
“For those people who are in there, they have families, too,” said Dimond. “Something as simple as going in there to get them out can save a whole life and a whole family from grief.” Army Times
She is stationed with Division HHC of 3rd Infantry at Ft. Gordon. Her units is putting her in for an Arcom… I would think after multiple trips into a burning building and guiding at least two people to safety, a but more would be indicated – had she been a field grade officer in a combat zone, she’d probably be looking at a higher award – but I’m glad she’s at least getting some recognition. She’s breaking the mold for ‘nerdy warrant officers’, and showing some definite commissioned-officer leadership.
H/t to Jeff LPH.
Category: Feel Good Stories
Fake news.
No coffee cup in hand.
Its there. She’s got it hidden under her arm.
My retired Firefighter friend:
Q – “You know what he call running into a burning building saving a few lives?”
A – “Tuesday”
Once upon a time paychecks were presented for doing one’s job; medals were presented for going above and beyond. A medic (I was one for a few years) saves a life and gets a paycheck; the supply troop down the hall saves a life and gets a medal. Those days are long past.
1990- Another Navy LT and I did CPR on a retiree. Got a hearty handshake and a BZ the next morning at quarters. If it had been a couple of SWOs it would have been NAMs at least…😁
Running into a burning building? That’s a Soldiers Medal. Well done!
This is a case where the terms “stunning” and “brave” would actually mean something.
Salute!
My thought exactly.
Word.
Back in 1986 Hack Stone was stationed at Camp Lejeune with 2nd Maintenance Battalion. One day during formation two Marines were awarded the Navy Marine Corps Medal and a letter of congratulations from the Governor of North Carolina for saving a bunch of blind orphaned nuns from a burning building. Just kidding, but they did save a bunch of people from a burning home in the middle of the night. So, they did something outstanding that reflected positively on the Marine Corps, and were recognized for it. Good on them.
So the formation ends and we head into the building to start work. Hack’s roommate, let’s call him Fat Murph, starts bitching.
Fat Murph: Man, that’s fucked up.
Hack Stone: What’s fucked up, Murph?
Fat Murph: I saved a guy’s life in Okinawa, and I didn’t get shit.
Hack Stone: How did you save someone’s life in Okinawa?
Fat Murph: My roommate came back from town drunk, and when he fell asleep I rolled him over on his stomach so he he wouldn’t choke if he threw up.
Hack Stone: And?
Fat Murph: That was it.
Hack Stone: Shit! I’ll get the 1st Sgt to form up the Company now so that you can get recognition for your bravery. Shit, Reader’s Digest should make this a Drama In Real Life story.
Fat Murph was the greatest Marine ever. Just talk to him for two minutes and he would be sure to tell you that.
Soldiers Medal?
BZ Space Cadet! Well done, and in my backyard too!
She now insists on being called Star Lord!
Bravo Zulu, Star Lord!
Well played sir!
Sometimes it ain’t the dangle on the shirt pocket, it’s the knowledge that one has done something good for others.
Good job, Warrant.
Exactly. Many years ago, when working in a hospital as an orderly, I was instrumental in saving a patient’s life with CPR. I had literally just learned how to do it 3 days before! Anyway, I was never recognized for it and didn’t expect to be, but for the next week I experienced one of the most intense highs of my life. That was enough for me.
BZ WO Dimond, in the right place at the right time to make multple grabs. Back in 2018, TAH had the story of NG PFC
Emmanuel Mensah who on Dec 28, 2018 ran into 2363 Prospect Ave in the Bronx, NYC and made the supreme sacrifice while making multiple grabs.
Ft. Stewart! I was a crew chief on a Huey there back in the day.
Well done, soldier.
3rd Infantry Division Soldier Saves People from Burning Building
https://www.army.mil/article/273870/3rd_infantry_division_soldier_saves_people_from_burning_building
HHC, 2-7 Inf (M)
Cottonbalers!
Soldier Medal is probably most appropriate.
Takes a while to process those, but she’s definitely earned it!
Yup. Since higher HQ a) can be rather slow, and b) might eff it up, you award what the local CO has authority as an “interim” award.
Ditto. My thought, as well.
I do have a somewhat similar story. When I was stationed at Ft. Devens in the 10th SFG(A), I resided in a second-floor apartment, off base. One night my wife and I awoke to the strong smell of smoke coming from below us. Smoke was emanating from the apartment below. I went down and pounded on the door to no response. I found an unlocked outside window I climbed through into the smoke-filled living room. The smoke was coming from a pot of burning chili on the stove; I turned it off and checked the bedroom. There I found a drunk, passed out E-6 from the other Special Forces battalion. I carried him outside as the fire department arrived.
My reward: A large fan from the FD to blow the smoke and smell out of my apartment (with the windows open in Winter).
I saw the SSG on base a few days later. He didn’t even thank me for saving his ass. The firefighter medics treating him said the thick smoke would have killed him if he had laid in that bed for another five to ten minutes.
Guess I should have put myself in for another ARCOM.
Knew a shipmate that ran outside and pulled a mother and baby from a burning car. Was going to be wrote up for being outside without a cover.
I told that chief that I was going to write him (he chief) up for stupidity
“Was going to be wrote up for being outside without a cover.”
Now THAT is hilarious!
There has been precedent.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Mecca_girls%27_school_fire
Bravo Zulu, that’s Soldier Medal for sure. It usually depends on who’s above as to what gets awarded, I once had an NCO above me who didn’t want to put anyone in for anything unless he was getting something from it, one past Officer as well. At the end of my A-stan tour I was HQ staffers who never left the wire getting BSMs while we grunts got ARCOMS, so if someone is telling me about their BSM, I’m always skeptical if it doesn’t have a “V” Device.
As awards clerk, I saw that potential, and complained, back in the 80s. Was assured it would not be abused.
Right.
BSM should be Valor only, like Silver Star. MSM is the appropriate non-valor award at that level. At some point, the regs need to be updated and non-V BSMs recinded and replaced with MSMs.
Sheesh.
The awards system is ridiculous! As an NCO in Iraq, my CO CDR put me on for a BSM ( BTW, I actually earned it), it was downgraded to an ARCOM.
A few years later, I’m a 1 LT in Afghanistan, didn’t do anywhere near the badassery that I did in Iraq, and I get a BSM.
Several years later, I’m a Company Commander with troops in 4 countries across the ME. I had an E5 that ABSOLUTELY earned an MSM ( he was a one man force on a signal mission at the US Embassy in Kabul), the BDE CDR downgraded it to an ARCOM. I was able to talk to some of the folks at the Embassy that were pissed off about his award, and they were able to put him in for an impact award there, and he got a Joint Forces Commendation Medal to go with the ARCOM.
I have always hated the awards system flaws. I ALWAYS submit awards for people that go above and beyond their paycheck. I also hate leaders that are too lazy to fill out a 638 for their Soldiers. Take care of your people when you are a leader. You’re there to support them. If that means that you spend a few more hours, in the evening, writing awards, so be it. Welcome to Leadership!
There wad a prototype award submission form in the mid 80d, that was to be filled out by hand, instead of typed. Idea was to make it easier to recognize folks by folks without a typewriter/word-processor.
Did they keep it?
Of course, since many wrote so badly, I wound up re-typing a whole bunch, because no way wad SSG Schmudlapps crayon-scratching going to rob his rock star PV2 of an award, on my watch
Re-typed a metric crapload. Then I wrote a how-to with successful examples (story tell! Active voice!) and sent to the companies.
Cannot imagine how bad writing has become in the email/smartphone Era. Hopefully they now accept email submissions.
And let me guess, there is still an unofficial “award by rank” effing EMs out of higher awards because RHIP and it looks bad when SFC Dickhead and 2LT Slacktical lack an ARCOM and PFC Hardcore has one.
I personally think that most awards are total bullshit. I’m not talking about awards for valor. MOH, Navy Cross, DSC, BS (w/V), SS. I take it at face value that these awards are recognizing significant bravery in combat. Anyone who receives them has my undying respect.
I’m talking about all the other chest candy. I had more than my share of ribbons/medals when I retired, but I definitely don’t value them as much as I value the respect of my fellow Sailors. Simple as that.
Years back, I watched the HBO series “The Pacific”. The episode that affected me the most was the one about Peleliu. Hell on earth. In my opinion, any Marine that crossed that airfield deserved the MOH.
But Marines like Sledge and his comrades pretty much came away from that horror with their lives and a lifetime of nightmares and nothing else. Not that they cared that they didn’t get a medal, but when I realized that, I’ve just considered my awards and commendations as simply words on paper and silk on my shirt. Just my opinion.
BZ! Well done!
What the hell.
Let me get this right. So, when a warrant officer goes TDY to another base they get a hotel room, but if an enlisted goes TDY gets an open bay barracks bunk?
Depends on the training and location.
6 years on recruiting duty (76-82) with an annual Battalion weekend meetings in hotel for mandatory training along with a change of command. Only 1 was memorable…
Laying in my bed in the Holiday Inn after driving from Chicago downstate to Bloomington the night before the meeting start when I heard shouting from the room next door… “WHIP ME! BEAT ME! MAKE ME FEEL CHEAP!!”.
The occupant spotted leaving that room the next morning was the outgoing Battalion Commander. No visible bruising observed.
Remind me to tell you about Admiral Tony Watson one of these days.
Dammit! I was anticipating the heavily snarky, laugh out loud, dog pile of Cyberspace Cadet jokes…
…and you go and make an All American Hero out of her!
I am just not pleased with you people today.
In order to throw a little fuel on the fiery debate about whether she should receive the Soldier’s Medal or an impact ARCOM, the following extract from AR 600-8-22 is offered:
Re: Soldier’s Medal: “The same degree of heroism is required as for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross. The performance must have involved personal hazard or danger and the voluntary risk of life under conditions not involving conflict with an armed enemy. Awards will not be made solely on the basis of having saved a life.”
I had a Soldier that was put in for a Soldier’s medal before I took over the platoon. He saved a Soldier’s life following a quad wreck, but it was downgraded to an ARCOM because there was no risk.
“Dimond went back into the burning building”
That is a fairly easy way to get agonizingly dead. One good inhale of superheated air, one wrong-door-open flash-over, and you are a walking corpse.
Absent evidence the fire was nowhere near her, SM time.
An ARCOM? Bullshit! That’s some Soldiers Medal-level heroism right there.
(Sorry I didn’t read the comments before posting but still…)
ARCOM was approved by Brigade CO when I was pushing paperwork. Thus, fairly easy to make sure it happened as an “interim award”. And right this week.
Much harder to walk into the HMFIC office at Human Resources Command and make a pitch. And glaciers weep at the stillness there….