Soldiers hoping for an early Friday release, stop to save a life instead

Photo By Christopher Wilson | Capt. Hayden Penn  

FORT SILL, OK, UNITED STATES

06.21.2022

Story by Keith Pannell 

Fort Sill Public Affairs

FORT SILL, Okla. (June 21, 2022,) – Two Fort Sill Soldiers were hoping to enjoy an early release from class June 10. Instead, they saved a crash victim’s life.

Captains Hayden Penn and Cody Oswald, classmates in the Field Artillery Captain Career Course, were headed south on Interstate 44 from Key Gate separately when Penn saw a pickup truck rolled over and smoking near the south end of Polo Field just before Sitting Bear Creek.

“I could tell the truck was on its side,” Penn said. “There was a second lieutenant in uniform and a civilian and it looked like they were trying to tip the truck back onto its wheels. Then, they tried to get an older gentleman out through the windshield, which had broken out.”

Penn approached from the underside of the truck, climbed on top and was able to open the driver’s-side door, reach in and “get the old fella stood up.”

Penn’s classmate, Oswald, was a few minutes behind and as he pulled up to the scene, the first thing he noticed was a Soldier standing on top of the flipped truck

“The truck was obviously on fire and there were no emergency vehicles there at that time,” Oswald remembered. “I didn’t know it was Penn on top of the truck, but he was yelling that he had a fire extinguisher in his vehicle, so I ran to get it.”

In the meantime, the underside of the truck had caught fire. So, Oswald blasted the flames with the entire contents of the extinguisher, still not knowing his battle buddy was standing on top of the truck, just feet above his head.

Oswald also wasn’t aware Penn had helped extricate the driver through the smashed-out windshield before Oswald returned with the extinguisher.

“Between the other Soldier and civilian who were on the outside and me working from the top of the vehicle, we were able to get the guy through the windshield and out of the truck,” Penn said.
As both Soldiers stopped to help, they said most of the traffic kept speeding by on the highway. However, they said they never considered not stopping.

“They looked like they needed a hand. It was just a situation where they needed help,” said Penn.

The captains said an off-duty Altus, Oklahoma police officer in an unmarked police car, turned on his emergency reds-and-blue, blocked a lane of traffic and radioed in to Comanche County 911 to report the accident, and that got rescue crews to the scene within about 10 minutes.

After making sure the fire was out, the FACCC students checked on the driver and found him dazed, with cuts to his head and arms, but otherwise he seemed OK.

“Army training certainly helped with this situation. I have some experience putting out vehicle fires, but usually it’s Humvee’s,” Oswald laughed.

Even though those who rendered aid possibly saved the driver’s life, they said don’t call them heroes.

“No, I just stopped and just happened to be in the right place at the right time, I guess,” Penn laughed.

“I’ve always stopped at an accident scene if there’s no first responders on scene yet,” Oswald said. “I’ve always stopped, no matter how big or how small the scene is. Especially, when you see a guy standing on the side of a flipped-over truck that’s on fire.”

Both captains made the point that the anonymous lieutenant who was one of the first on the scene deserves just as much praise as they’re getting. However, nobody can seem to identify who that was.

Neither officer feels they need any accolades for doing what they feel was the right thing to do. However, it remains to be seen what their commander and the Army, might have to say about that in the future.

• Date Taken: 06.21.2022
• Date Posted: 06.21.2022 14:42
• Story ID: 423451
• Location: FORT SILL, OK, US