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TRAPPED: The men had swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle.
-Spc. Ricardo Farrell of Annandale, Va., dove into what soldiers call the "hell hole," a small opening between the compartment and the driver's seat, to rescue his driver, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports. Farrell was on combat patrol in a Stryker vehicle Dec. 22 when the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle.
The Stryker rolled into a canal, leaving a foot of breathable air in the rear of the vehicle.
The driver was trapped and Farrell heard him shout for help.
"He was screaming, 'I don't want to die.' I heard him a couple more times, then the yelling stopped," Farrell said in a release from the Army.
Farrell dived into the hell hole.
"I went under the hell hole, but I couldn't reach him; I remember moving stuff out of the way and I was scared he had drowned," Farrell said. "I thought that was it for him. I grabbed him by his arm and body armor and pulled him out. I just didn't want my driver to die.
That's the worst feeling anyone could have."Sgt. Melvin Clark of Minneapolis reached the Stryker and opened doors, allowing the trapped soldiers to escape. He was awarded an Army Commendation Medal for his actions. Brig. Gen. James C. Nixon, deputy commanding general, 25th Infantry Division, presented Farrell with the Soldier's Medal at Forward Operating Base Warhorse. About 100 Soldier's Medals, given to those who distinguish themselves with heroism not involving actual combat, have been awarded since late 2001.
"These two heroes, under great stress, made the commitment to risk their own lives to save one of their buddies; quite frankly there is no higher honor," Nixon said. "I'm proud to stand in front of these two heroes among heroes. It makes an old soldier feel proud."
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