RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- A fast-acting Airman assisted a solider after a collision near Kaiserslautern, Germany, Feb. 10, 2017.
Airman Gregg Randolph, 86th CES firefighter, described the scene he encountered while simply coming back to base.
“I was on my way home from downtown Kaiserslautern around 11:30 p.m.,” said Randolph. “And on the way back I noticed someone lying on the ground near a car collision and it appeared they were injured. So, I turned the car around because they were on the other side of the road. When I got there I noticed no one was around so I grabbed a cone from inside my car and started blocking off traffic.”
As a certified first responder, Randolph understood the sense of urgency required in an emergency situation and immediately notified the authorities.
“After deterring traffic I went back to check on the injured person,” said Randolph. “There was snow on the ground so I grabbed a blanket out of my car to lay her on and took off my jacket to give to her. I went back to my car and grabbed two more jackets so I could support her head. By that time the ambulance and fire department were on their way, and because she was able to move, I brought her to my car and turned the heat on.”
It was during that time she revealed to him that she was a solider in the Army.
“I waited until the ambulance arrived,” said Randolph. “While the emergency services were assisting her I called some of her friends and supervisor, and notified them of the situation; they agreed to meet her at the hospital.”
A first-term Airman, Randolph has been training for approximately the past year.
“I wasn’t on duty but this was my first emergency,” said Randolph.
The training Randolph underwent at the Goodfellow Air Force Base taught him the basics of first aid, amongst other skills, which he has continued to hone in his current upgrade training.
“I just relied on my training basically,” said Randolph. “I didn’t second-guess myself at all, it was just natural.”
Airmen like Randolph are an asset to the Air Force and exemplify the core values instilled in Airmen from the dawn of basic military training, refined through their careers and extended on into their other endeavors.