CUMMING, Ga. - Georgia Army National Guardsmen of the Cumming, Ga.-based 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade were in their second day of icy patrols during Winter Storm Pax when two of them completed a special mission.
Staff Sgt. Timothy Bellinger, a Cumming resident, had been with the 560th BFSB for just two months when he and Spc. Derek Owens found themselves in a HMMWV travelling the icy streets of his hometown in north Georgia. After a morning spent conducting route reconnaissance and assisting stranded motorists, Bellinger’s HMMWV was directed to Northside Hospital to transport patients who could not travel home on the icy roads. Bellinger and Owens were asked by hospital staff if they could help an 83-year old woman home. The Georgia Guardsmen immediately agreed.
“She asked me if she could drive,” said Bellinger. “I said, 'well maam, maybe not this time.'” The Guardsmen helped their passenger into the HMMWV and provided her with safe transport to her home a short distance from the Cumming Regional Readiness Center. Bellinger reported that his smiling passenger appeared to enjoy the ride.
“She said it was pretty cool,” said Bellinger.