SCHWEINFURT, Germany -- While driving on a four-lane highway near Conn Barracks Thursday, Oct. 8, a Schweinfurt-based wounded warrior dashed into the road to rescue a woman who was involved in a car accident and had staggered into oncoming traffic before collapsing.
"The car in front of me went through the red light, got sideswiped and spun both cars around," said Sgt. 1st Class Ammala Louangketh, who is assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, and is recovering from a gunshot wound suffered in Iraq earlier this year.
Louangketh, a former drill sergeant who has had basic combat lifesaver training, saw the woman hit her head on the passenger-side windshield before the vehicle came to a stop.
"She stumbled out and was dazed and confused, got out of her vehicle and was almost hit by an oncoming car in the other lane," he said. "She collapsed in the middle of the road."
After picking up the victim and carrying her to his own vehicle, Louangketh went to check on her husband, the driver, who was trapped and unconscious against the crushed door.
"I went back to the lady. She came to and was going into shock," said Louangketh, who had, by this time, noticed that several vehicles had slowed down but not stopped to offer assistance.
"Finally a captain showed up and assisted me. He checked on her husband, who was still in the driver's seat, stuck," he said.
"I wasn't shocked at all. I just reacted to it," said Louangketh, who had begun to treat the female victim for shock by using his bag to prop up her feet, loosening her restrictive clothing, covering her with blankets, and reassuring her in a calm voice, although the victim spoke neither English nor German.
Understanding at least part of his calm demeanor under such extraordinary stress requires a glimpse back to Babil Province, Iraq, in January, when Louangketh and members of his platoon came across a member of Sons of Iraq near a checkpoint.
"The security team dismounted, and I started walking toward (a) tent, and just as I did, he was standing there holding his AK (-47), which is kind of awkward, because most of them have them on their shoulder or kind of dangling," he said, noting that the man looked nervous.
"Just as I turned my head to get my interpreter, he sprayed me, pretty much, almost point blank range," Louangketh said.
"I fell down and I guess I blacked out for a couple milliseconds, but I woke up to automatic gunfire. He was standing at my feet, spraying at my guys, so I went to grab my M4. Just as I brought it up, he saw me move and realized I was still alive and he tried to finish me off with a headshot," Louangketh said.
"All I heard was a click, and it gave me a couple seconds to return fire," he said.
His commander was surprised neither that Louangketh risked his own safety to help the car accident victim, nor that he did not tell anyone what he had done.
"I'm not at all surprised by the fact that he did it, because not only would he do it, I think, but a lot of Soldiers would do the same thing," said Capt. Joshua Buchanan, commander of Co. D, 1st Bn, 2nd IN.
"He's been a real inspiration, in particular, to Soldiers that face the same challenges he does," Buchanan said.
"His particular situation is one of the most challenging stories you'll hear about," Buchanan said. "It helps him, even more, I think, to help other people."
"I was just doing my job. I'm pretty sure that normal Soldiers who would have seen it would have reacted the same," Louangketh said.
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