Two Kentucky Army National Guard Soldiers saved the life of a man who was trapped in a sinking car in floodwaters on Feb. 27 in Owensboro, Kentucky.
SPC Casey Brandle and SPC Justin Stinnett, members of the 206th Engineer Battalion, rescued David Hamilton, 87, after he lost control of his car and drove into floodwaters. He was trapped inside when the National Guard Soldiers arrived on the scene.
“The Army taught us selfless service,” SPC Stinnett said. “And what was going through my mind was how Mr. Hamilton has a family and how we each have our own … and family always comes first. I’m just thankful that we were there at the time to be able to help.”
A Daviess County sheriff deputy reported that Hamilton lost control of his vehicle and plunged into the waters along a stretch of highway. The deputy witnessed SPC Brandle and SPC Stinnett “selflessly and without hesitation” jump into the water, swim to the vehicle and assist Hamilton out of the car and up the embankment, where he received care from emergency personnel.”
“We were on our way to the armory when we noticed the car drive off the road and into the floodwater,” SPC Brandle said. “We stopped to see if anyone needed assistance, and we saw the car was sinking and someone on the inside trying to get out, so we jumped in to help.”
As the two Soldiers made it to the vehicle, SPC Stinnett applied his weight to the rear of the car to keep it from nose diving more into the water, while SPC Brandle pulled Hamilton through the driver’s side window.
“I’d say my military training helped me stay focused on what needed to be done,” SPC Brandle said. “There was really no time to stop and think things through. We just acted. I didn’t think too much after hitting the water. It was just, ‘Keep moving and don’t stop.’ Afterwards, it was a little surreal. I kept thinking, ‘Did that just happen?’”
Hamilton was treated by the deputy and emergency medical technicians, who noted that he sustained no serious injuries. Hamilton paid a visit to the 206th Armory in Owensboro on March 19 to say thank you again to SPC Brandle and SPC Stinnett and pose for a photo with his new friends.
“I might forget what happened that day, but I’ll never forget them,” Hamilton said. “They are heroes. And you don’t have to go to war to be a hero.”
SPC Brandle serves in the 206th Forward Support Company as a wheeled vehicle mechanic, and SPC Stinnett is an allied trade specialist in the 206th FSC. Both have been in the Kentucky Army National Guard for six years.
1LT Marvin Lawrence, commander of the 206th FSC, called the Soldiers’ actions heroic and said they have the “core morality we want for all our Soldiers in a crisis.
BY SSG Scott Raymond, Kentucky NATIONAL GUARD
