Fort Drum community members recognized for heroic actions

FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Many Soldiers, Family Members and Civilians who live and work on Fort Drum provide vital support that contributes to the safety and well-being of their fellow man on a daily basis. Three members of the Fort Drum community were honored Oct. 26 for going above and beyond the call of duty in their acts of bravery and service during the Real Heroes Breakfast hosted by the North Country Chapter of the American Red Cross.

The annual event recognizes individuals and organizations for their acts of service that have made a positive impact in the lives of local community members.

Jane Gendron, American Red Cross North Country Chapter executive director, said that one of the best parts of her job is how much kindness she sees on a daily basis and she is proud to be a part of sharing the stories of the heroes who are committed to serving others.

"Each hero today intentionally chose to become involved, to make an impact and do the right thing," she said. "When I see this kindness around me in so many places, I never seem to have the opportunity to acknowledge the impact on our clients, our volunteers and our community. The American Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast gives us an opportunity to say 'thank you' to the members of the community who support us so we can do our work in the North Country."

Kerrie Goodsell-Fossett, a public safety dispatcher with Fort Drum's Directorate of Emergency Services, was named this year's 911 Dispatch Award recipient for her "calm and collaborative approach" in response to a call involving a hostage situation.

Goodsell-Fossett recalled the events that occurred on Sept. 21, 2015, when she answered a call from a woman who was trapped by her boyfriend in a speeding vehicle.

"She didn't tell me she was in a car," Goodsell-Fossett said. "She kept telling me what she was seeing around her so I could figure out that she was in a vehicle."

Maintaining a calm demeanor, Goodsell-Fossett helped to establish rapport with the driver and convince him to pull the vehicle to the side of the road and release the caller. Goodsell-Fossett continued to collaborate with DES personnel to track the vehicle, and the driver eventually surrendered to law enforcement individuals.

Fort Drum Deputy Fire Chief Jason Brunet said that with her wealth of professional experience, Goodsell-Fossett is an asset to the entire post community.

"Dealing with the situation calmly de-escalated the incident and ensured a positive outcome for not just the man and the woman involved, but for the entire installation," Brunet said. "She's a true professional, and she exemplifies the best of what we have to offer on the installation."

Goodsell-Fossett, who has been a dispatcher on Fort Drum since 2001 and previously worked as an emergency medical dispatcher in the Syracuse area, said that her response to the situation was the result of years of experience working in the field.

"We do a lot of training, but no amount of training can prepare you -- it's just 15 years of doing the job day in and day out," she said. "When the phone rings, you never know what is going to happen, so your instincts take over."

Goodsell-Fossett said that the positive outcome of the situation was only achieved through the collaborative effort between herself and many other members of the Fort Drum DES team.

"We are a group, and when something like that happens, we all work together," she said. "I had a job to do, and all I was concerned with was helping so we could have the best outcome possible."

Fort Drum firefighter David Egan was the recipient of this year's Fire / Rescue Award for "assisting in the stabilization of an unconscious and unresponsive Soldier."

Egan recalled arriving at the scene of an emergency to see Soldiers giving first aid and performing CPR on a fellow Soldier who was lying on the ground. He said he exited the fire truck and immediately began taking over CPR, assisted by his fellow firefighters.

"When we get to the scene of an emergency, nobody has to be told what to do," he said. "You don't think about it -- you just react. It's a result of a lot of training and a lot of experience in responding to emergencies."

Brunet, who also responded to the scene, said that when it was evident that CPR was necessary, there was no question that Egan was the appropriate individual to administer this life-saving measure.

"Egan has been a CPR instructor for over a decade," he said. "He was the right individual in the right place at the right time, and his team supported him while he took control of the situation."

As Egan worked on the unresponsive victim, he experienced what he described as "life-changing" and a milestone in his career.

"I was working on him and suddenly I felt one heartbeat, then another," he said. "Then I felt his heart starting to beat more regularly again."

Egan said that it was not his efforts, but those of his entire team that were responsible for saving the Soldier's life. He said that, while he felt honored to be recognized, the real reward for him was something that he could never adequately put into words.

"To feel that heartbeat -- to bring that Soldier back -- that is what I live for: being able to help people," he said.

Sgt. James Hanna, a health care sergeant at Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic, was this year's Military Award recipient.

Hanna was driving through Watertown one morning when traffic stopped abruptly. He was unsure of what was happening, but he noticed an individual on the side of the road.

"I decided I needed to get out and see if I could help in any way," Hanna said. "Luckily I had my (medical) kit in my car, and I brought that with me."

As he approached, Hanna encountered a critically injured man who had been involved in a car and motorcycle accident.

"Once we got the individual stable on his back, we realized that the injury was to the lower extremity," he said. "We were able to stop the flow (of blood) partially using a tourniquet, and thankfully it was effective long enough to do some good for him."

Hanna remained with the individual until emergency medical service personnel arrived on the scene.

Sgt. 1st Class Alice Duron-Jensen, primary care noncommissioned officer in charge for Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic, said that she was not surprised when she learned that Hanna had been a part of administering life-saving assistance during the incident.

"Being a medic in the Army, his training is to preserve life, limb or eyesight, and he fell back on his training in this instance," she said. "Before you ever come to a clinic or field unit, you've been trained to react quickly. Sgt. Hanna is very professional and very knowledgeable, and he instinctively did what he knew needed to be done."

Duron-Jensen said that Hanna is her go-to person when a task is complex or requires a lot of attention to detail.

"He is always reading and always working to improve his skills," she said. "He always does everything to the best of his ability and goes out of his way to take care of Soldiers and the many Civilians we have within our organization. We are all grateful that he was there and that he took action."

As the ceremony came to a close, Gendron read an excerpt from the American Red Cross's core principles.

"May our commitment to humanity be strengthened as we reaffirm our promise to prevent and alleviate human suffering, wherever it may be found," she read.

Gendron said that this is a commitment that she has seen demonstrated by Soldiers, Family Members and Civilians time and time again.

"The Fort Drum community brings a wealth of resources to the North Country, and the most valuable resourceS are the people -- people who live in our communities and contribute to the health and safety of individuals on and off the installation," she said.

"The professionals on Fort Drum truly are an asset to the North Country."