Airman saves four lives, earns Soldier's Medal

Published May 14, 2007
By Airman 1st Class Ryan Whitney
Nellis Public Affairs

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (ACCNS) -- "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."
-- Jon Kyl, U.S. Senator from Arizona.

Senator Kyl may not know Staff Sgt. Scott White, 99th Civil Engineering Squadron explosive ordinance disposal journeyman, but he summed up his actions with those words.

Sergeant White was awarded the U.S. Army Soldier's Medal in an award ceremony here May 10, 2007, for saving the lives of four Soldiers June 15, 2006, while deployed to Forward Operating Base, Falcon, Iraq.

"We had a call reporting an improvised explosive device, so we went out and took care of the IED, no problem," Sergeant White recalled.

The EOD team consisting of three EOD Airmen was returning to FOD Falcon after successfully completing the mission and was the second vehicle in the 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, EOD team chief from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, jumped into the canal without regard for their own safety.

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

After removing the gunner from the top hatch of the vehicle, Sergeant White and Sergeant Fitzgerald began removing the weapons and crew from the vehicle which was rapidly filling 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 returned to the vehicle and was able to free the team chief from his restraints. Then, only after all the people and sensitive material was accounted for, did Sergeant White exit the canal.

But Sergeant White's day wasn't over yet. After exiting the canal, Sergeant White performed perimeter security duty for five hours 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," said Sergeant White.

The Soldiers 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.