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Army SSGs John Russell and Brian Williams; saving the world one person at a time

by Jonn Lilyea••16

John Russell and Brian Williams

Chief Tango sends us a link to a Washington Post article about Army SSGs John Russell and Brian Williams who were out jogging on the National Mall in Washington DC when they came across a jogger who had been hit by a bus. Their military medical and leadership training kicked in as they treated the fallen man;

The last time Russell and Williams encountered casualties, they were under fire in Afghanistan, separately treating soldiers felled by insurgent snipers and a roadside bomb that overturned an armored vehicle.

“You realize that the guy lying in front of you needs help, that he just happened to be in the wrong place and you in the right place,” said Russell, 37. “The man, he was beat up pretty bad when we ran over to him.”

The friends returned from war four years ago and settled into more sedentary lives in the Washington suburbs — Russell with his wife and 5-year-old son, Blake, in Fairfax; Williams with his wife and 13-year-old son, Anthony, in Alexandria.

A D.C. fire department spokesman confirmed that two men who identified themselves as Army soldiers were treating the patient when the paramedics arrived. Kenneth B. Ellerbe, the chief of D.C.’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, praised the soldiers’ efforts and noted the advantages to being in a city with a “well-trained civilian population.”

You should read the whole well-written article.

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16 thoughts on “Army SSGs John Russell and Brian Williams; saving the world one person at a time”

  1. Well done, Staff Sergeants Russell and Williams. Kudos.

    Now, if the tool at the WaPo writing photo captions would just do his/her homework and learn the difference between SFC and SSG . . . .

  2. Brazo Zulu, heroes.
    Noticed the 3 1/2 years in combat on SSG Russell. Thank you for your service S/Sergeants. And thank you both for continuing to serve, both the military and those around you.

  3. Every time someone like kersten gets attention, there is something like this to balance it.

    Well done, guys.

  6. These men indeed represent the best and brightest among us, here’s hoping we see more of these men and women serving as our legislators and leading this nation out of the darkness and again into the light.

    Nicely done, gentlemen…let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works…

  8. The quick action of both of these soldiers is commendable. The awards SSG Russell is wearing around his neck are the SGT Audie Murphy Club medallion and the TRADOC MG Aubrey Newman Medallion. Interesting that he chose to wear them for this photo as they are normally only authorized for wear at at specific functions involving the organizations that presented the award. It appears that SSG Russell has had a diverse career, as he has awards from the Army, USMC and the Coast Guard. I did find this website:
    http://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=AssignmentExt&ID=489252
    His photographs are there for inspection. I noticed a few discrepancies in the photos, in the ribbons worn, as well as appurtenances. I may just spend to much time reading the stories on This Ain’t Hell, though.

  12. Like Frankie & OT said, BRAVO ZULU!! Another fine example of Real Men and real NCO’s that genuinely care about others…

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