Photo By Ruth Kingsland | CW3 Jesse Rhymes, right, poses with his wife Sally and their two children Jacob, 6,...... read more read more
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Imagine you’re driving on a winding rural Thurston County road. It’s raining Jan. 16, 2016, and about 9 p.m.
The driver in front of you is driving fast and loses control of his vehicle. He flips over four or five times before the car comes to a rest upside down in the ditch. The engine of the car bursts into flames.
What would you do?
That wasn’t even a question for Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jesse Rhymes, who quickly called 911on his cellphone and rushed to the vehicle to assess the situation, see how many occupants were inside and what were the injuries.
Rhymes’ quick thinking and heroism resulted in the victim surviving and Rhymes receiving the Soldier’s Medal at a ceremony at Evergreen Chapel on Lewis Main July 13.
The Soldier’s Medal was introduced in 1926 and is sparingly awarded to any person of the armed forces of the United States or of a friendly foreign nation who, while serving in any capacity with the Army of the United States, is distinguished by heroism in a noncombat event.
“This is an absolute honor for me,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas James Jr., 7th Infantry Division commanding general, as he officiated the ceremony. “This is a really, really big deal. Not many people receive this award.”
James talked of Rhymes’ actions and the importance of service members being ready to impulsively take care of each other, on or off the battlefield.
“With total disregard for personal safety, (Rhymes) said, ‘I’m in,’” James said.
Although no Soldier aims to receive an award such as this, it was humbling and an honor to be singled out, Rhymes said.
“I just did what any Soldier would do,” he said. “I just knew if I didn’t go in, (the victim) wasn’t going to make it out.’
The front of the vehicle was fast filling with smoke, Rhymes said. The victim’s legs were trapped, and there was no way to extricate him from the driver’s side of the vehicle. So, Rhymes crawled through the passenger side window of the upside-down car.
“When the flames started coming through the windshield, I was hoping it wasn’t going to blow,” the soft-spoken Soldier said.
Rhymes managed to get the victim and himself out of the car and to safety. He administered first aid until emergency responders arrived. By then, the entire car was engulfed in flames, which firefighters were able to extinguish, Rhymes said.
The victim was transported to a nearby hospital, and Rhymes drove himself home. During the ordeal, Rhymes managed to call his wife and let her know he’d be late for dinner.
When he arrived home, he was covered in his own blood, from glass he’d crawled through in the vehicle. Although his wife, Sally, said she was shocked to see her husband in that condition, she wasn’t surprised he’d perform such an heroic act.
“That’s just the kind of person he is,” she said. “I thought he was a little crazy crawling into a burning vehicle, but he’s a wonderful person, a wonderful husband and a wonderful father. I’m proud, very proud of him.”
Rhymes is now a special agent in charge of the CID Presidio of Monterey office in Monterey, Calif.
Rhymes and his wife have two children, Katelyn, 9, and Jacob, 6, who also attended the ceremony. Katelyn said she was really proud of her dad and glad he was OK after saving a man’s life.
“He’s my hero,” she said.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2017 18:44 |
| Story ID: | 242134 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Hometown: | CONNELL, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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