Airman saves four lives, earns Soldier's Medal

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ryan Whitney
  • 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFPN) --  A staff sergeant from the 99th Civil Engineering Squadron here was awarded the U.S. Army Soldier's Medal in an award ceremony here May 10 for saving the four Soldiers' lives. 

U.S. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona summed up the actions of Staff Sgt. Scott White, an explosive ordnance disposal journeyman. "One of the things that makes our military the best in the world is the certain knowledge of each Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine that they can always count on their comrades should they need help -- that they will never be abandoned," Senator Kyl said. 

On June 15, 2006, while deployed to Forward Operating Base Falcon, Iraq, three EOD Airmen were returning to FOB Falcon after disarming an improvised explosive device. They were in the second vehicle of a five-vehicle convoy when the convoy came to a narrow road beside a water-filled canal.

"We were driving along in my team's Hummer when we realized that we had become the lead vehicle. So everyone started looking around to try to find out what had happened to the actual lead. Then the dust settled and we saw the lead Hummer in the canal," Sergeant White said.

Once Sergeant White realized what had happened, he and Tech. Sgt. David Fitzgerald, from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, jumped into the canal.

"All I could think of was helping out our military brethren and all those stories of people drowning in Hummer's," Sergeant White said.

After removing the gunner from the top hatch of the vehicle, Sergeant White and Sergeant Fitzgerald began removing the crew and weapons inside the vehicle as it rapidly filled with water.

After removing the gunner, driver, and back passenger, and all the weapons, Sergeant White realized that the team they were saving consisted of four people, the team chief, who sits in the passenger seat, was submerged and was unable to free himself of his restraints.

Sergeant White ran back to the vehicle got the team chief free from his restraints.

For the next five hours, Sergeant White performed perimeter security duty until the recovery team arrived to retrieve the disabled vehicle.

"I'm just glad that everyone made it back to base with no problems and no injuries or bad news," Sergeant White said.

The Soldier's Medal, which is awarded to individuals for acts of heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy, is equivalent to the Airman's Medal.

Sergeant White was also the recipient of a Purple Heart on the same deployment.

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