FORT SILL, Okla., Oct. 15, 2015 -- Selfless service isn't a new concept to Pvts. Dalonn Lax or Will Lankford; both arrived at Basic Combat Training (BCT) having saved people from likely peril.
The two Soldiers from C Battery, 1st Battalion, 79th Field Artillery will graduate BCT today at 1 p.m.
Lax, a South Bend, Ind., native reached out to a stranded motorist on a bitterly cold afternoon with temperatures well below zero on Valentine's Day. Driving home with his sister from work in a blizzard, Lax saw a car stuck in a ditch.
The bad weather hampered his efforts to get home where a hot meal waited for him, courtesy of his girlfriend, Calandra Strickland.
Getting out of his car, Lax noticed the car's taillights were still on and went to investigate. He found the driver asleep inside; the car that wasn't running and was getting colder by the second.
"I just saw a driver who needed help, if I called 911, more than likely they would have just instructed me what to do, because if they sent a medic it would have been too late to save him," said Lax. "I didn't know how long he was there so I opened the door and carried him to our car."
Together, they wrapped him in blankets, part of the cache of supplies he kept in his car should they get stranded. They turned on the heater, and after a bit the man awoke.
"He said he had called a friend to come get him so we let him stay inside the car until his ride came," said Lax.
Already late for his dinner date, Lax said Strickland "let him off a little" after he told her his story, though his special meal was now cold. Despite this, Lax knew stopping to help was the right thing to do.
"What point is there if I just walked away from that man. I would want someone to help me if I had nothing; I was relieved that he was fine," he said.
Lax's selfless service has now brought him to the brink of graduating BCT, from which he will learn his new military occupational specialty as a 13B cannon crewmember. Although he hopes his enlistment will lead to a career and either attaining the rank of first sergeant or command sergeant major, Lax said for now his sites are set much closer to the present.
"I take everything a day at a time having not graduated yet. I keep working hard and doing my best for the U.S. military," he said.
Part of his reward may arrive on an airline soon as Lax said he hopes Strickland, whom he's been with for three years, will come down to see him graduate.
Lankford felt a pull to join the Army and tried the year prior, but failed to do so having not graduated high school. That setback could have been just another in a series of difficult blows for the Soldier from Rutledge, Tenn.
"Every since I was young I really didn't have much of a good life. I had a lot of problems and got bullied," he said.
Instead, he enrolled in a lifeguard school, got certified and went to work for the Wilderness at the Smokies, the largest water park in Tennessee. His responsibilities included examining the slides to make sure they worked right and ensuring all aspects of the water park were to standard to prevent injuries or even a loss of life.
"I put it in my mind the more motivated I am the more successful I'll be to do this job and, if needed, save someone's life," he said.
That opportunity arose having just finished his shift and going on break when he noticed something that demanded his attention.
Lankford saw a young girl (he later learned she was 6) pulling herself along the pool's wall moving into deeper water. As she reached out to grab a flotation device, she lost her grip on the wall and went under.
"I noticed the other lifeguards didn't see her so as soon as I saw her drop into the deep water, I blew my whistle, pressed a button to stop the waves so other people could get out of the water faster and jumped in to rescue her," he said.
Reaching her and lifting her head out of the water, Lankford saw white foam coming from this girl's mouth as well as her eyes rolled up into her head.
He pulled the unconscious girl to the pool's beach and started CPR.
"My heart was beating really fast, and I could feel the presence of everyone standing around watching," he said. "My only thought that came to mind was, 'I need to save this girl's life.'"
Lankford blew his whistle twice to get help as other lifeguards brought a device that would help them clear obstructions, such as the foam, and open the girl's airway. He performed six repetitions of CPR before the girl threw up the water she had swallowed. By that time emergency medical technicians arrived and took over caring for the girl.
Sent to a break room to unwind from his ordeal, Lankford began to feel the effects of his ordeal.
"I was quiet and just staring at the ground when I noticed my hands shaking uncontrollably. I just wanted to know if she was going to make it," he said.
Though no one suggested it, Lankford went to the hospital to check on the girl.
"The way I see it is if you try to save a life, you can't just stop there, you have to make sure the person is alive," he said.
He learned the girl was in stable condition and was being held overnight for observation.
"It's crazy how things can happen in a split second, and can turn around just as fast."
That incident was the only serious one in his half year working at the water park. Drawing on his self-discipline and motivation, he graduated high school, quit his lifeguard job and enlisted in the Army.
"I wanted to save lives and serve my country," said Lankford, who said he's learned his lessons in BCT and feels ready to do whatever is asked of him. "I'm at Day Zero now, and it's all about motivation; if you don't have motivation to do something, you're not going to get anywhere," he said. "I know I can do anything I put my mind to."
Like the two people they saved, Lax said he's learned the Army isn't about himself so much as it's about the Soldier to his left and right. He expressed his satisfaction and comfort with the Army way of life.
"This uniform represents everything this country has stood for. Everyone comes here from a different background, different country, different nationality, different gender, different religion, but once you come here and put on this uniform, everybody is united. It is one Army, one unit, one mind."
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