Canadian Medal for SGT Jacob Perkins
We talked about Sergeant Jacob Perkins back in July 2012 when he encountered a burning bus along the New York State Thruway on his way home on leave. Perkins heroically braved the flames and dragged numerous people to safety. The Army awarded him a Soldier’s Medal, the highest Army award for bravery while not engaged with an enemy force, in October 2012.
Chief Tango sends us a link to the Canadian National Post which reports that SGT Perkins will now receive Canada’s Medal for Bravery because some of the folks he rescued were Canadian citizens;
Sandy Blair doesn’t know how she got off the bus. What she remembers, looking back at it now almost three years later, is the chaos of the crash. Metal crumpling. Glass shattering. Flying bodies. Broken bones. People screaming. There was blood. There were flames and there was Sandy Blair, standing on a New York State thruway, watching as her fellow passengers dove out of the windows, hearing their screams while knowing that her husband, Willie, was still trapped inside, in the middle of a fiery mess.
medal
And you know what, she never saw the man who saved him, at least not at first. She didn’t see him park his pick-up truck by the side of the road. She didn’t know his name. She didn’t know that he was a soldier, on leave, on his way home to visit his Mom in Mountain Grove, Mo., when he happened upon the accident scene and happened into Sandy Blair’s life and wound up holding it all together, keeping her family intact.
“That bus was a ball of black smoke and I was standing there, screaming, and screaming, and I don’t know how long it was, but I lost a brother years ago and, true to God, I looked up and I said, ‘Please, don’t let it end this way.’ And, sure enough, somehow, some way, Sgt. Jacob Perkins arrived on that scene.
“I didn’t know where he came from. I didn’t see him show up. All I know is he got there and thought nothing of throwing his truck in park and running onto a burning bus. It was an inferno, an absolute inferno, and he got my husband out.”
So now SGT Perkins is a North American hero.
Category: Real Soldiers
Even the Canadians get things right now and then, eh?
They sure do…the hosers.
HOOAH! to the brave sergeant…
Again, superb job by SGT Perkins and a big “Thanks” to our northern neighbors for the recognition.
Living the Creed!
“I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit to the Corps, the military service and my country, regardless of the situation I find myself in…”
In addition to the award, he also received 25 kgs of Canadian bacon, a copy of Anne Murray’s Greatest Hits and a year’s supply of Brador beer.
And a coupon good for punching Bryan Adams in the face.
NR Pax LMAO Plus a coupon good for kicking Justin Bieber in the nads…if he has any.
Apparantly we were typing at the same time.
Plus a coupon good for kicking Justin Beiber in the vagina.
Hey – Bryan Adams had a couple of good albums in the 80’s. “Cuts Like a Knife” and “Reckless” were good slabs of power pop.
I do agree with the coupon good for kicking the shit out of Justin Beaver.
Oohrah!! Great story. Fine job young Sergeant!!
Great job Sergeant Jacob Perkins! Way to show what a good troop can do.
I am surprised though, the Canadians stopped hockey playing long enough to do this honor of him. 😀
Nice to read a positive story after all the strnageness of the above posts.
I think I’ll stop reading at this one and start the day with a better attitude.
I knew this guy back in 2009
He was the rto for our platoon awesome guy. It amazes me how selfless he is. I remember reading the interviews and the reporter quoted him saying something along the lines of “I don’t thing it was a heroic thing to do, it was the right thing to do”
Can he were this at the same time as his other medals ie. is it authorized for wear?
Good job and good for him