83rd Chem Soldiers cited for 'stepping up'

By Zach Morgan, Fort Polk Guardian staff writerOctober 23, 2009

83rd Chem Soldiers cited for 'stepping up'
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT POLK, La. -- It is not every day that someone gets a chance to safe a life. Soldiers are familiar with life-or-death situations though, and step up when they are needed -- even off-duty. Three Soldiers of the 7th Chemical Company, 83rd Chemical Battalion received awards for "stepping up" Oct. 2 during a ceremony on 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Field.

Sgt. Brian McCann and Sgt. Severo Garza assisted local firefighters with a fire while visiting a former fellow Soldier in Missouri in July. Spc. Steven Whitley gave his neighbor cardiopulmonary resuscitation while he was visiting his family in Iowa in July. The Soldiers all received the Army Achievement Medal for their actions.

"This is a small token of appreciation for their service," said Maj. Sean Crockett, executive officer, 83rd Chem Bn. "These were achievements that potentially saved the lives of members of their communities and first responder organizations. (These Soldiers) represent the backbone of the U.S. Army and the 83rd Chemical Battalion."

While driving home from summer leave on the afternoon of July 3, Garza and McCann encountered a burning, one-story house from which the resident, Debbie Stone, had just been rescued. As there were only two firemen on the scene with one fire truck, the Soldiers volunteered to assist with calming and treating the woman, who was in respiratory distress. While monitoring her, they learned of her heart condition, and informed the paramedics who arrived on the scene later.

The Soldiers also discovered, through conversation with Stone, that her husband kept ammunition in their home, and that it had not been removed from the structure. The Soldiers warned the firemen of the potential hazard, enabling them to move back to safety before the rounds began to ignite, and cordon off the area to protect bystanders. Garza and McCann further assisted the rescue effort by setting up water tanks, enabling the two firemen to continue fighting the fire until additional fire trucks arrived.

"When we saw the fire, there was only one fire truck, so we decided to help out," said McCann. "The fire had gotten pretty big by that time and the firefighters were busy with the fire itself."

"While McCann helped the firefighters, I helped the woman, who was sitting down," said Garza. "I got her cold water - we had ice in our truck. I took her vitals, and then helped McCann and the firefighters."

Garza said lending assistance was a natural reaction. "Instinct took over. We saw people running around scared, and stepped in to help," he said. "We can take five minutes out of our lives to save someone else's life. During a deployment, if I had a buddy in a burning truck I would have done the same thing."

Whitley, recovering from knee surgery at his home in Clinton, Iowa, responded to a call from his mother on July 11 that their neighbor, Phillip Carstensen, had collapsed in his backyard. Whitley, still on crutches, hurried to the site with his brother. When they arrived, Carstensen had no pulse. While their father called the paramedics,

Whitley calmly took control of the situation, and began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation with his brother's help.

The Whitleys continued CPR for about eight minutes until they were relieved by emergency medical technicians from the Clinton Fire Department. Carstenson suffered potentially fatal ventricular tachycardia, but was successfully defibrillated due to the Whitleys' efforts, and survived with only minor, short-term memory loss.

"I didn't come down from the adrenaline rush until after the ambulance left for the hospital," Whitley said. "(My military training) helped me stay cool under pressure." Whitley, who studied athletic training and coaching in college, said he has maintained his CPR certification for 10 years.

Carstensen said he doesn't remember much about the event. "I collapsed and then went into cardiac arrest," he said. "Without Steven, I'd be dead -- no question about it. I was without a heartbeat for about 45 minutes, until the ambulance arrived."

Whitley said the chain of events was surprising. "We wouldn't have been there if I hadn't been recovering from surgery," he said. "I thought it was odd that he and his brother happened to be there," Carstensen said. "I'm very thankful -- I tear up every time I talk about it."