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Off-duty Soldier jumps into action, saves a life

By Capt. Charlie Dietz, 214th Fires Brigade PAOApril 3, 2014

Lifesaver
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pfc. Jeremy Nedd kneels beside his medic bag he used to save a woman's life March 30, 2014, in Duncan, Okla. Nedd, the first responder on the scene, applied proper procedures to stabilize the driver and passenger until paramedics arrived more than 10... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. (April 3, 2014) -- When faced with disaster, many people will freeze in shock or look the other way, but that was not the case for Pfc. Jeremy Nedd, a combat medic with a little more than a year of service in 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery.

Nedd, 27, a Phoenix native, had just finished volunteering with his wife at a Girl Scouts camping trip and was on his way to the airport the morning of March 30 when he saw something that would show what a courageous Soldier he is.

"I was driving up towards Duncan and saw a vehicle on the other side of the highway flip, go airborne and smash into the ground," said Nedd. "It looked really bad."

He knew exactly what he had to do. Nedd grabbed his medic aid bag from the back of his truck and ran across the highway to see exactly what was going on.

"The female driver's hand was mangled with partial amputations of all of her fingers. I wrapped her hand up to keep them hanging on then instructed some other civilians who arrived on scene to assist with the passenger in the back seat. I later learned that was her grandson," he said.

Nedd continued to treat the driver because she was clearly more injured than the grandson, but he still told the civilians exactly what they needed to do to stabilize the child.

"After bandaging her hand, I told her who I was and exactly what I was doing to her, assuring her that everything was going to be okay as another civilian stabilized her head," said Nedd.

He could tell by the large amount of blood that her life was in danger and quickly applied a tourniquet to her arm to stop the bleeding.

"I knew I had to react fast from the get-go, and I'm glad I did because by the time I had gotten to her through the broken window she had probably lost 200 to 300cc's of blood, so I knew I had to stop the bleeding or else her blood pressure would have dropped and things would become even worse," he said.

Donna Overacker, saw the commotion on the side of the road on her way to church and stopped to help.

"As I approached the scene, I saw a Soldier in uniform leaning in the driver's side of the wrecked car through the crushed glass of the window because the door was stuck and asked if I could help him because I have first aid experience," she said.

Nedd told Overacker that the driver had severe hand injuries as Overacker observed a large pool of blood around the driver. She also noticed her hand covered in a fresh gauze bandage with a open medic bag on the ground next to them.

"As I applied pressure to the woman's axillary artery to help control the bleeding, the Soldier brought out the black strap that he placed on the woman's upper arms and, using an ink pen, fashioned a tourniquet," said Overacker. "He was super calm the whole time and very in-charge of the scene, staying beside the woman, comforting her and keeping her conscious until the paramedics arrived."

About 15 minutes after Nedd ran across the highway, paramedics from Duncan, arrived on the scene. While waiting, he had bandaged up the grandson's head and instructed the driver not to move. The paramedics called Nedd the next morning to thank him and alert him that the driver easily could have died if it wasn't for his quick response and application of the tourniquet. The paramedic also said both patients were going to be OK. The driver might lose mobility in her hand, and the grandson just needed stitches.

Nedd, described as a humble and mature leader by his peers, carried on his trip without thinking much of the events. In his mind, he was just doing his civil duty.

Overacker was amazed at what she had seen from the Soldier and wanted to make sure that he was recognized for his heroism. Not knowing who to contact, or even his name, she went to Facebook and summoned the help of a popular Army fan page that has more than 384,000 followers. The moderators of the page put out her message discussing what had happened and that Overacker believed he was wearing the patch of the 214th Fires Brigade, a field artillery unit on Fort Sill.

After more than 3,000 "likes" and 163 "shares" of the post, the Soldier was found and praised. More than 190 comments on the post called him a hero, demanding he receive an award and saying that he is the perfect example of a Soldier that others should emulate.

Nedd later heard about the "manhunt" for him and laughed it off saying, "I just did what my leadership and training has taught me to do."

"Altruistic acts like this are what make the Leader Brigade and the armed forces special. It is the combination of the competence to render the appropriate assistance and the character to stop and help a stranger that we try to foster throughout the brigade," said Lt. Col. Damon Wells, 214th Fires Brigade deputy commander.

The unit leadership is looking into how they can award Nedd for his heroic actions.