Airman 1st Class Joseph T. Nenadich, a member of the 121st Security Forces Squadron, stands in front of a KC-135 Stratotanker at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. Nenadich and an Army Reserve Soldier were driving to their weekend drills on June 6, 2015, when they stopped to help passengers evacuate a vehicle that had swerved off the road and into a ditch. (Ohio National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Zachary Wintgens) |
COLUMBUS (06/06/15) — On June 6, around 6:30 a.m., Airman 1st Class Joseph T. Nenadich and Sgt. 1st Class Eric Moore were on their way to drill at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base when they noticed a vehicle swerve in and out of traffic and then go off the road into a ditch. That’s when they took action.
“As members of the military, you should never take your training for granted because you never know when you may need it,” said Moore, an observer controller with the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 338th Regiment, 157th Infantry Brigade.
Nenadich, a 21-year-old from Youngstown, Ohio and member of the 121st Security Forces Squadron, joined the Air National Guard in 2013.
“As soon as I saw the car go off the road, I knew I had to do something,” Nenadich said. “I immediately crossed over four lanes of traffic and pulled over.”
“I was just on my way to drill,” Moore said. “It never dawned on me that something like this would happen right in front of me. When you’re overseas, you’re prepared for it. You expect it. You’re not really looking for it when you're just driving to work.”
When the two got down to the ditch, they noticed the car had landed upside down with the driver's side submerged in water.
“I thought someone was going to be seriously injured. I’ve never seen someone go off the road at that rate of speed,” said Moore.
Inside the vehicle there was a baby in a car seat, a child about 8-years-old, a teenage girl and a woman.
“The way the car landed, it was halfway up a barbed wire fence,” Nenadich said. “To get the woman out, we had to lift her over the fence so her legs wouldn’t get torn up. It was a difficult task, but it worked out and we were able to help her over the hill.”
The two worked together and had everyone out of the vehicle and safely out of the way by the time help arrived.
“The situation couldn't have gone better,” Moore said. “I was very fortunate to have the Airman right there beside me. It really helped de-stress the situation. There is a certain comradery in the military. My instincts kicked in and I knew I had someone there to trust.”
With the training and experience gained from their service, the two were able to jump into action without thought.
“Doing some of the things I’ve done with this unit definitely gave me the mindset that I could help them out,” Nenadich said. “It felt really good. I felt like we did the right thing.”
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