NCO's medic skills saves civilian, himself

By Joel McFarlandOctober 22, 2015

Life saver
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Sims attends to his duties as the senior clinical noncommissioned officer in charge at Reynold Army Community Hospital at Fort Sill, Okla. Sims recently used his Army medic training to save the life of a motor vehicle accident ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. Oct. 22, 2015 -- Most jobs within the military do not lend themselves the opportunity for practice outside of a training area, but for one Fort Sill Soldier the opportunity has presented itself in numerous instances on and off the battlefield.

On Oct. 2, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Sims, Reynolds Army Community Hospital senior clinical noncommissioned officer in charge, was returning to Fort Sill from a temporary duty assignment to Little Rock, Ark. While traveling west on Interstate 40 about an hour from Little Rock, Sims witnessed a driver of the vehicle ahead lose control after attempting to dodge a deer that was in his lane of traffic.

"I was ready to get home after sitting through a week of Powerpoint slides and had hit the road immediately after the last class had ended," recounted Sims.

The vehicle flipped three times, and the driver was ejected but ended up with with both legs pinned under the vehicle's roof. Sims, an extremely skilled combat medic, immediately provided lifesaving treatment to the victim.

"I have learned from past experience to always keep an aid bag in my car," said Sims. "As soon as I saw the accident I called 911 on my cell phone, since we were literally in the middle of nowhere I was unable to give the dispatch a very accurate location other than an hour west of Little Rock on I-40, as a result it was nearly 20 minutes before the emergency services arrived. Another motorist stopped to help, and the two of us unsuccessfully attempted to shift the vehicle so we could pull the victim to safety."

The quick thinking of the two rescuers enabled them to use the vehicle's jack to lift the vehicle so the driver could be removed from underneath. From there, Sims worked to control the bleeding from a severe leg injury.

According to the injury incident report from the Arkansas Highway Patrol Sims played a vital role in saving the victim's life.

This is not the first time he aided a driver in distress. In April 2003 he was awarded the Soldier's Medal for his actions in saving the life of an elderly couple who were involved in a head-on collision on the German Autobahn.

Sims is no stranger to treating the injured in high stress environments, but then the training he gave other Soldiers in turn helped him, too.

"My career as a combat medic and within Army medicine has allowed me to care for others and to be cared for myself," he said. "I cannot tell you how grateful I have been, on and off the battlefield, for the training I have received and been able to put to use."

During the second of his three combat deployments, Sims was awarded three Purple Heart medals for injuries received in combat while deployed with 270th Armor Battalion from Fort Riley, Kan. As the combat medic for a tank company in March 2005, Sims was riding in the gunner's hatch of an M1 Abrams tank during a routine patrol when he noticed several flashes from a nearby building.

"I immediately recognized the muzzle flash of gun fire but before I could notify the rest of the patrol I lost consciousness due to what I later found out to be a bullet that hit me square in the front of my helmet," recalled Sims.

As he collapsed into the tank, the turret traversed to engage the enemy unknowingly wedging the unconscious Sims between the turret and the body of the tank snapping his left leg.

"Thankfully, I had just trained a group of the tankers I was supporting as Combat Life Savers (CLS) and once things calmed down they treated and evacuated me to the Military Hospital in Balad."

Sims elected to stay in country for the 45 days it took to recover from fractures to his skull, vertebrae and leg.

After returning to his unit in May 2005, Sims was riding in an M113 Armored Vehicle along with several other tanks when an improvised explosive device consisting of five 155mm cannon rounds detonated beneath him.

"This time I was not knocked out and provided direction to the CLS that was performing a chest needle decompression on my punctured left lung," said Sims.

For a second time he was evacuated to Balad for a four-week recovery.

Several months later during an August 2005 foot patrol Sims and his unit came under mortar fire. As they were taking cover one of his fellow Soldiers took mortar shrapnel to the stomach.

"This time I provided treatment myself," said Sims. "However, it was not long before I took shrapnel to my left leg, which more or less blew out my calf. We had a chain of treatment going on with me treating my fellow Soldier and once again my trusty CLS treating my leg."

Avoiding another evacuation to Balad, Sims made it back to the forward operating base where he went to the combat hospital. After this injury he was jokingly referred to as a bad luck charm and no longer allowed on patrols.

Working at RACH, Sims has told his tales of injury several times for the new patient orientation held at the hospital Tuesday mornings.

"I don't recount my war stories for recognition or sympathy," he said. "What I want to convey to our Soldiers and family members that we see every day is the amazing treatment Army medicine has provided me in my recovery over the years. I can stand before you today fully healed and heathy due to the care that I received from Army medicine at home and abroad."