Category: Real Soldiers

In the Fayetteville Observer, they tell the story of SSG Tyronne Mitchell who was driving out and about Spring Lake, NC when he came across an accident scene. Without thinking, SSG Mitchell leapt from his own car and pulled a woman from her overturned vehicle. Mitchell administered first aid until emergency crew arrived on the scene;

Mitchell, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., said his wife had sent him to the store on May 20, 2012, when he came upon a car on its side on Spring Avenue.

Mitchell used a knife to break a rear window. He cut the seatbelt so he could pull the driver, a woman, from the vehicle, which was blanketed in a smokey haze.

He said he worried the car would tip over, further injuring the woman.

Mitchell carried the woman to a safe distance, then crawled back into the car to retrieve her belongings.

Officials said Mitchell put his own life in danger by crawling into the car and said his actions reflect his “completely unimpeachable character.”

Mitchell, who sustained minor lacerations and superficial cuts to his hands, wrists and forearm, was praised by many within Army Special Operations Command.

For his valiant efforts, SSG Mitchell earned the Soldier’s Medal awarded for valor not in combat against an armed enemy. Says AR 600-8-22;

The Soldier’s Medal is awarded to any person of the Armed Forces of the United States or of a friendly foreign nation who, while serving in any capacity with the Army of the United States…distinguished himself or herself by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy.

The good folks at the 1st Cavalry Division’s Public Affairs Office sent this heart-warming story I hope will kind of calm us down a bit after all of the news we’ve taking in the past couple of weeks. The story is about 9-year-old Neil Sawh from Houston whose dream is to be a soldier;

Deciding on a career can be a difficult decision some make very late in life, but for 9-year-old Neil Sawh of Houston, there’s nothing he wants more than to be a Soldier.

The 1st Squadron, 7th “Garryowen” Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, gave Neil Sawh, a fourth grader from Houston, the chance to be a Cavalry Soldier for a day, Feb. 8, here.

Neil was diagnosed with a rare strain of Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 7 and he received the opportunity of a lifetime when his parents surprised him with a visit to Fort Hood.

“I told him, ‘you’re (going to) have to look out,’” said Nelini Sawh, Neil’s mother. “‘They’re going to be clues along the way. Let’s see if you can figure out where we’re going.’”

Nelini said as soon as Neil saw the sign for Fort Hood; he was excited and spoke at the top of his voice.

Neil said, “Fort Hood! We’re going to the Army base!”

San Francisco native Lt. Col. Jay Miseli, commander of Garryowen, said there was no better way to get Neil involved than to incorporate him into the already scheduled Garryowen Games.

“The bottom line is, we saw this as the perfect opportunity for Neil to see what Soldiers do and experience it firsthand,” Miseli said.

Neil appeared to be very shy and quiet, but opened up while on the obstacle course.

“Let’s go Apache,” Neil shouted.

In that first picture at the top, Neil looks a little uncertain, but the Cav put him at ease the only way they know how, I guess;

He looks like a completely different kid;

But you should go over and read the rest of the story.

Iowa State Daily reports that Iowa State ROTC cadet, Nicole Donato, despite being in an automobile accident and concussed, was able to draw on her cadet training to save another person involved in the accident when she found that he wasn’t breathing, so because of a smashed door, so had to crawl through the vehicle and kick out the door and drag the larger man out of the car, call 911;

Donato performed CPR until a police officer was able to get to the scene. The emergency personnel who assessed the scene credited Donato’s quick reaction with saving the man’s life.

Donato credited the first-aid and CPR training she received from ROTC as the reason behind her quick thinking.

It’s on TAH because it won’t be in the media.

Staff Sgt. Eric B. Shaw’s widow, Audrey R. Shaw, received his Distinguished Service Cross in a ceremony at Fort Campbell, KY last week according to Army.Mil. SSG Shaw was a member of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) on June 27, 2010, in the Marawara District, Kunar Province, Afghanistan when he gave his life in service to the US:

The award citation explains Shaw encountered enemy fire while his squad attempted to seize the village of Daridam. He gave his own life after coming to the aid of a 12 Afghan National Army soldiers who got cut off from the 1st BCT squad and led them back to U.S. forces when enemy fire struck him.

Shaw’s actions that day are “an inspiration to us for how he lived his life and sacrificed it for his country,” [Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of U.S. Forces Command] said. The incident occurred during the 31-year-old’s third deployment. Shaw joined the Army in October 2004 — at a time when U.S. forces remained on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Audrey recalls her husband as a humble man, who became a Soldier not for glory or fame. She said he would be humbled to receive the Distinguished Service Cross, which is second only to the Medal of Honor.

“I don’t do it so people can recognize me; I do it because it’s what I love,” Audrey remembered him telling her once as she affixed a 101st Airborne sticker to their vehicle.