Photo By Staff Sgt. William Henry | Sgt. 1st Class Dustin Gothrup, Yorktown, Ind., receives the Indiana Distinguished...... read more read more
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INDIANAPOLIS - Two Indiana National Guard soldiers were awarded for actions at the 38th Infantry Division Armory, Jan. 11.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Nice, Bunker Hill, Ind., and Sgt. 1st Class Dustin Gothrup, Yorktown, Ind., both received the Indiana Distinguished Service Cross for their actions after they responded to a vehicle accident in New Castle, Ind., July 2011.
Both soldiers were attending a funeral for a fellow combat veteran when an accident occurred at a nearby intersection. They heard the crash while outside the funeral and immediately went into action.
"We were the first ones on the scene," said Nice, Company A, 38th Infantry Division.
When they arrived at the scene, they said one vehicle rear-ended another and overturned and the other car was in flames.
Gothrup, Headquarters Company, 76th Infantry Brigade, said he immediately began first aid on the woman in the overturned vehicle using his dress clothes with 1st Sgt. Mark Ireland. Meanwhile, Nice assisted with the burning vehicle with fire extinguishers from nearby businesses. Despite the efforts of Nice, the burning vehicle became uncontrollable and the occupants perished.
The soldiers said they continued to provide immediate aid to the surviving occupant of the overturned car until rescue crews arrived. They then helped stop traffic for the medical helicopter to land so the survivor could be evacuated.
"I don't know how many of you have been around a car that is on fire, but that is just a terrible blaze and hard to put out because everything on that car is feeding those flames," said Maj. Gen. Lonnie Culver, 38th Infantry Division commanding general, who presented the awards. "They showed great personal courage and selfless sacrifice and calm under pressure when trying to rescue these folks."
Both soldiers were humble about being recognized for their efforts and said they just were trying to do the right thing.
"I just reacted, I didn't think about it," said Gothrup.
Gothrup said there were only a few people who were assisting in immediate efforts.
"When people see a terrible wreck and two people are in a burning vehicle, there is a lot of shock," Gothrup said.
"Just a simple quick reaction, whether it's just calling the police or maybe grabbing a fire extinguisher can save someone's life. Even if you can't save their life, human beings should feel good knowing that someone cared enough to try to do something," said Nice.
Both soldiers said they hope their efforts help people realize to react swiftly and lend a helping hand to those in immediate danger.
"Hopefully other people see what we did, not just be recognized, but the fact to do it because it's the right thing to do," said Nice.
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 01.11.2014 17:06 |
| Story ID: | 119054 |
| Location: | INDIANAPOLIS, IN, US |
| Hometown: | BUNKER HILL, IN, US |
| Hometown: | YORKTOWN, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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