2LT Wyatt Koch and SPC Robert Shook saving the world
Bobo sends us a link from the NationalGuard.mil which tells the story of 2nd Lieutenant Wyatt Koch and Specialist Robert Shook of the North Carolina National Guard’s 151st Engineer Battalion. The pair rescued a nurse who was stranded by Hurricane Matthew’s rising flood waters;
Lt. Koch and his team began to drive down a flooded road outside of Wilson, when they heard over the radio that another team could hear a cry for help. Spc. Shook cut the engine off to the team’s Humvee when he heard faint cries of “help!” The three men got on the hood of the Humvee and began to use search lights to look for the person calling out.
Henderson was the first person to spot the flood victim and Shook threw his rescue rope first but it was carried away by the current. Koch threw next, further upstream and it was able to make it to the stranded nurse. They began to pull her in, when she lost her grip still yards away from the rescue team.
Shook jumped into the flood waters after the nurse and quickly retrieved her and began to buddy swim back to the Humvee. The current was too strong to fight so Shook began to tread water until another swift-water rescue boat pulled alongside the pair and pulled them into the boat. Shook placed a thermal blanket on the rescued nurse and the team was able to bring her safely back to dry land.
Category: National Guard
North Carolina is really a mess right now. The worst part is downed power lines sitting in water.
These guys did a fine job. Kudos to them!
I want to disagree with you, Ex-PH2; but I can’t. That is, the 8-12 inches of water was gone out of my yard Sunday morning after almost reaching the house (if my daddy hadn’t hauled as much dirt over here with a bucket behind a tractor as he did…well I don’t know). However, the electricity was out in the county seat until late Sunday or possibly Monday. It doesn’t seem as bad as Hurricane Floyd back in ’99 to me; maybe because the wind wasn’t as strong. On the other hand, wild rumors about water releases from dams upstream have been flowing since Sunday. (Rocky Mount doesn’t have a flood control dam–they have a dam, but not that type; why or how would they be flooding Greenville I don’t know.)
Lumberton is getting hit hard; that’s south of Fayetteville. Tarboro and Princeville, on the Tar River below Rocky Mount and upstream of Greenville, are getting flooded. Greenville is getting flooded, and parts of Kinston (south of Greenville, on the Neuse River thus downstream of Goldsboro–as in Seymour Johnson AFB) is expected to have flooding until next week. Goldsboro is supposed to have been hit hard.
Furthermore, although we went back to work on Tuesday, three to five of us couldn’t come in Wednesday because of bridges and roads closed.
I’m confident that the the wind damage wasn’t as bad as Floyd. I went out to see what could be seen Sunday afternoon and I only had to turn around once for trees across the road (two together). I am also hoping that the affected areas in Greenville hadn’t been rebuilt entirely. I’m pretty sure some lots were left vacant. Princeville has a levee, but I don’t think it was enough.
Our house didn’t lose power or county water during the storm (in ’99 it lost water due to damage elsewhere); a lot of people did lose power and some may still be without electricity.
And NC State did beat Notre Dame in the wind and rain Saturday, so there is that.
Memo to the Stolen Valor assclown that “drop by” – 2LT Koch and SPC Shook are two example of “real deal” heroes.
BZ to both of them, and countless others, that go in Harm’s Way helping people.
+1
They are going to get a yelling from SGM being outside without their cover…
🙂
They don’t appear to be wearing their reflective PT belts either…
I cannot imagine CSM Macintosh engaging in reflective belt bullshit.
He belonged on a day room poster, captioned “Be this man”
I do miss him so….
And possibly another for not making sure they’re NOT walking on the grass in that flood!
National Guard at its finest, nicely done gentlemen. Nicely done indeed.
Hear, hear.
Out of town unit at that; two hours or so away at that!
BZ!
There are people who do heroic deeds among us- we’re gonna need more. Way to go Soldiers!
Well done, gentlemen!
How is it in South Carolina, GA, and FLA?