SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — U.S. Air Force Capt. Paul Dangelo, assigned to the 178th Wing, received the Ohio Cross from Maj. Gen. Matthew S. Woodruff, Ohio adjutant general, during a ceremony at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base, June 18.
The Ohio Cross, the highest award for valor presented by the Ohio National Guard, recognizes acts of heroism involving voluntary risk of life. Dangelo received the award for rescuing a motorist from a submerged vehicle following a collision in Champaign County on May 31, 2024.
Woodruff said Dangelo's actions exemplified the selfless service expected of National Guard members.
"What a selfless sacrifice that he did," Woodruff said. "It gives me a lot of pride in the organization that we've got. Airmen, soldiers, officers and enlisted, they're thinking about someone else."
Chief Master Sgt. Charles Hansel, command chief of the 178th Wing, said the award reflects both Dangelo's character and the values shared throughout the wing.
"I think it shows the type of Airman and the type of people that we have in our wing and in the Air National Guard as a whole," Hansel said. "It's the values and the culture that we set."
Hansel said Dangelo's actions embodied the Air Force core values and demonstrated a willingness to put others before himself.
"Captain Dangelo put his own life at risk and put others before himself," Hansel said. "It shows the type of human he is and the type of courage and selflessness that he has."
The award stems from a rescue that occurred on May 31, 2024, after a vehicle entered a pond near the intersection of State Route 161 and Parkview Road following a collision with a Champaign County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle.
Despite receiving the Ohio Cross, Dangelo downplayed his actions and said he was simply in the right place at the right time.
"I'm very grateful I was able to help," Dangelo said. "But I call it being in the right place at the right time. I don't think I did anything radically different than the average person, the average guardsman, the average Saber would do if they were put in that same situation."
Deputy Sheriff Christopher Culler said the rescue began after the collision sent the other vehicle into a nearby pond.
"I jumped in the pond and swam over," Culler said. "I made contact with the guy in the other car and he was alert and OK. In the midst of me doing that, I heard someone behind me come up and ask if I need help. I turned around. It was Paul Dangelo."
Culler said Dangelo immediately entered the water and joined efforts to free the trapped driver. "I told Paul, yes, I did need help and he immediately jumped in the pond with me," Culler said. "Paul was able to go into the back and unhook the seat belt of the driver."
As the rescue continued, the situation became increasingly dangerous as the vehicle began sinking beneath the surface.
"Paul yelled at me and I turned around and I saw the vehicle was beginning to sink again," Culler said. "By the time I swam back over, the vehicle was completely underwater with the occupant still in the driver's seat."
Dangelo said his Air National Guard training helped prepare him to respond under pressure.
"Over my career in the Air National Guard, some of the training that I've done, taking the Air National Guard's Tactical Combat Casualty Care training, basic triage and dealing with different situations that could arise, I feel confident that I can do more good than not by participating if the situation requires," Dangelo said.
Although he felt prepared to help, Dangelo said the circumstances quickly became more perilous as the vehicle disappeared beneath the water.
"I had to get out. I needed air," Dangelo said. "Going back and being tired and not certain that he was going to get all the way out and being an arm's length away from somebody that may or may not make it and you're doing all that you can do and you're not sure that that's going to be enough, that's very difficult."
Dangelo said there were moments during the rescue when he feared the outcome could be tragic.
"I was not certain it was going to be a happy story," Dangelo said. "That was terrifying."
Eric Holmes, chief deputy of the Champaign County Sheriff's Office, said both men knowingly placed themselves in danger to save the trapped driver.
"These two men without hesitation went in and faced that danger," Holmes said. "They put the safety and the life of the man inside that car above their own. They epitomize service before self."
Holmes said the risks extended beyond the cold water and included the possibility of becoming trapped beneath the rapidly sinking vehicle.
"If they would have been stuck by that vehicle, no one would have been able to get them out from that," Holmes said.
Dangelo later credited Culler for taking the first action and said the rescue was the result of teamwork.
"I wasn't the first one in the water," Dangelo said. "You were. Following your lead, going in there and then coming up to assess the situation with you, your communication, I mean, he's trapped in there. There's no way that I could have done that by myself."
Culler said Dangelo's assistance ultimately made the difference between life and death for the trapped driver.
"Without absolutely no doubt in my mind, that guy would have died that day if Paul didn't show up," Culler said.