Sergeant Anders N. Olafson saving the world

The Watertown Daily Times tells the story of how Sergeant Anders N. Olafson, a Fort Drum sergeant with the 3/71st Cavalry, rescued eight people from a fiery death;

Mr. Hitchcock credited Mr. Olafson — whom he met in Afghanistan in December 2013 while they were members of the 2nd Platoon in the 3rd Battalion, 71st Cavalry Regiment — for his take-charge response to the fire.

“As a soldier, he’s trained to not leave anyone behind. And he did the right thing to save everyone’s lives,” Mr. Hitchcock said. “We would have not gotten out if it weren’t for him.”

Ms. Schnurer said the 30 seconds it took her to get from the house to the road was enough time for the fire to entirely consume the house, adding that its two open doors caused the flames to spread rapidly. She said she feels lucky to be alive.

“We all agree that if Andy hadn’t woke up when he did to come and get us, we all would have died,” she said.

Category: Real Soldiers