Pennsylvania Guardsmen saving the world
Chief Tango sends us a link to the story of 6 Pennsylvania Guardsmen who were awarded the Soldiers Medal for their heroic rescue of 10 Virginia National Guardsmen. The awardees were; Sgt. 1st Class Sean Cartright, 37, of Export; Sgt. Paul Johnson, 39, of Sheraden; Sgt. Jon Dunham, 31, of Green Tree; Spc. John Kerr, 23, of Robinson; and Spc. Sean Capets, 31, of Murrysville, and 2nd Lt. Ryan Norris.
The unit came across a vehicle parked along the side of the road with its doors open and stopped. They heard screams and found 10 members of the Virginia Army National Guard stranded in a river and on top of a submerged cargo vehicle and trailer.
The storm had brought heavy rains and created fast currents in rivers and streams, causing the Virginia soldiers to misjudge the depth of the water when they attempted to cross at a fording site.
Norris and Dunham jumped into the water and helped pull soldiers safely from the river.
Dunham said he has a fear of water if he can’t see the bottom. Afterward, he said he thought, “What did I just do?”
Then Cartright, Johnson, Kerr and Capets formed a human chain and used tow straps from their vehicle to pull several Virginia soldiers stranded atop the car to the shore.
“It took about 45 minutes to figure out what we were going to do,” said Johnson. “We knew we could (save them). We didn’t think about what was going on around us at the time.”
When the tow straps accidentally washed away in the current, the soldiers took off their uniform shirts and belts and tied them together to make a strap to pull the remaining soldiers to safety.
Category: Real Soldiers
HUAH! Warriors, HUAH!
Weekend Warriors. Just sayin.
Warriors just the same.
How many of those “weekend warriors” have died fighting the war on terror? How many have been maimed? You can go to hell.
Sara … Bite me!
One team one fight.
As a reserve MCPO I have ate much active duty and civilian attitude over such comments and will do so in my retirement.
On active duty everyones indent card is green (I know … listen). Reserve forces are part time civilian and full time military. So the weekend warrior comment has no place in our community.
Although, I fully support USAF reserve jokes!
Sara, you DO of course realize that a great majority of AMEDD are those ‘weekend warriors’? Thank god for it too, because what they do in those ‘low speed civilian jobs’ has saved tens of thousands of lives over the last thirteen years.
Bravo Zulu to the PAARNG. Iron Division, All the way. You do a damn since job representing Pennsylvania and the United States of America.
Umm, inappropriate comment. Really. I cincerely hope it was in jest. Wrong community to post bullshit like that.
Sara, do us a favor.
Go play kick the can in the impact area.
First off, many of those “weekend warriors” are former active duty soldiers who decided that they wanted to continue to serve their country and local communities after their commitment to the active component was completed.
Second off, some of those “weekend warriors” have more time downrange than some Active duty soldiers.
Third off, those “weekend warriors” bleed the same color blood as their active duty counterparts and are just as quick to put themselves in harms way to save those in need.
Fourth, why haven’t you headed out to the impact area yet?
Ha, Fair enough. Ya’ll do not know me, so I understand the butt-hurt. I had a SPC in my squad that whined about being called a weekend warrior by the active duty pukes. That became his nickname. There is a picture of him posing with two Iraqui boys, and one of them was wearing a “Weekend Warrior shirt. Damn good troop. I know all too well what sacrifices weekend warriors make, because my life has been severely affected by having been (and still being) one since Sept 23 1981. C Long, I agree. Steve33, yeah ok. Master Chief, Ha, half my tenure with US armed services was with the USN. As a snipe, with three years active on the USS Saratoga CV 60. We all have CAC certificates now, not green IDs. My Father did 23 years in the USAF, after he finished 3 years in the US Army as an infantryman. I give my Grandson hell for making USAF jokes, but I laugh just the same. ANCCPT, I very much do appreciate the folks with AMEDD, and the job they do. I too am proud of the troops with PAARNG for their actions. I kind of expect that from that caliber of citizen. CWORet, yeah Chief it probably was considering ya’ll are not familiar with me. Jon the mechanic, No. Too mant rockers on my sleeve to take orders from you, but I invite you to take care of the can- kicking. I did not mean to come off as a troll, but I suppose my “tone” is not conveyed well in writing. Bottom line, the PPRNG troops did well, and I hope everybody (me included) makes the right decisions when the time comes. That is all.
That should read:PAARNG. Fat fingered it
Go to hell Sara. As a former Army Guardsman, a retired Air Force reservist, and the father of an Army Guardsman I take offense. I challenge you to work a full time job and try to balance a military career at the same time. Same training and when I was deployed it sure wasn’t for a weekend. My uniform always said U.S. Army or U.S. Air force; it never said Guard or Reserve.
Yeah, ok. Losiento mucho.