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Ceremonial guardsmen, chaplain assist in truck incident

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jason Wiese
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  In the dark, icy, windy morning of Nov. 18, an 18-wheeler headed down a long stretch of U.S. Route 287 with nothing but grass and hills for miles in central Wyoming when it rolled on its side . It finally came to rest with its length stretched across the two-lane highway.

In the cold, many miles from help, the driver stayed inside the overturned cab until a 90th Missile Wing Honor Guard detail, which was traveling to a military funeral in Lander, Wyo., happened upon the scene.

"I was driving, and as soon as we crossed over a hill, [Senior Airman Tyree] Wright, noticed that there was a semi-truck flipped over, and we kept driving toward it and I pulled over," said Airman 1st Class Roberto Apodaca, 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron defender and wing ceremonial guardsmen.

The 90th Missile Wing Honor Guard detail consisted of Airman 1st Class Apodaca; Senior Airman Tyree Wright, 90th Maintenance Operations Squadron Vehicle and Equipment Section technician; Senior Airman Nina Jones, 90th Medical Group Commander Support Staff; Senior Airman Devin Mooney, 321st Missile Squadron Personnel Reliability Program Manager; Airman 1st Class Robert Andrade, 90th Civil Engineer Squadron heating, ventilation and air conditioning technician; Airman 1st Class Jabron Sparks, 790th MSFS defender; and Chaplain (Capt.) Thomas Fussell, 90th MW chaplain.

"There were no words said," Wright said. "As soon as Apodaca stopped the van we were all out. I don't even think he got it in park yet, and we were all out."

The recurring emergency response training all Airmen receive kicked in, and they were running on instinct, Jones said.

"We didn't know what the situation was when we looked into the cab, but we were ready for whatever was going to hit us," Mooney said. "We tried to assist the driver in getting out and checked that he had no life-threatening injuries."

Fortunately, the driver turned out to appear physically unharmed, with no visible cuts or bruises, Andrade said. However, the incident definitely gave the driver a start.

"He was shaking," Sparks said. "He had just been in a wreck, and when we asked him if he was okay, his hands couldn't stop shaking"

Meanwhile, the Airmen made sure the scene was safe, Mooney said.

"Senior Airman Wright also verified to make sure the semi-was turned off and that there were no gas leaks," he said.

When a tow truck arrived, Mooney worked with the tow truck driver to set up cones and flashers to help make the scene safer for passing traffic, he said.

"Everyone who was out there knew what to do. Everyone knew their place. Everyone knew that [the driver] needed to get out. Everyone knew the vehicle needed to be turned off. We knew to check for fuel leaks and to make sure the overall area was safe and secure," Wright said.

All the while, the Airmen had to deal with the same harsh wind that made the road more hazardous in the first place, Sparks said.

"It was to the point that we had to park the van parallel to the truck because the wind was blowing straight across the road," Wright said.

The team brought the driver to their van to warm up and wait for emergency responders, Jones said.

"He was in our van for about 30 to 45 minutes while we were basically waiting for the authorities to arrive," Mooney said.

From there, the Airmen let the authorities handle the situation and got back on the road, still managing to make it to the funeral on time.

Looking back on why they stopped in the first place, the Airmen all agreed it was a no-brainer. The driver was alone and they were the first people on scene.

"The accident was 'fresh.' There were no authorities, no tow truck," Mooney said.

"As far as we knew, he could have been there for hours with no one passing him," Wright added. "We were in the middle of nowhere. It took 25 to 30 minutes for the cops to get to us."

Jones said it felt good to be able to use the skills Airmen are trained in to help someone. Jones said it felt good to utilize skills taught in the Air Force to help someone.

All Airmen undergo self-aid buddy care training, which trains them to handle emergency medical situations, including instruction to make scenes safe.

"It just goes to show that we, as young Airmen, are properly trained," Wright said. "Even though we're not all in the [medical] group and we don't have first aid things to do on a day-to-day basis for our jobs, we still knew what do to."