WIESBADEN, Germany - It wasn't combat. It was a car accident.
But that didn't stop three 24th Military Intelligence Battalion Soldiers from using their military training to aid victims in a two-car crash and apprehend two men who tried to flee the scene.
"I was hoping my whole life that the Combat Life Saver training would be a waste," said Sgt. John McCaughrean. "But I was glad I was trained for it."
McCaughrean had listened as one man who had just run more than 300 yards from a car accident began to slur his words. Blood trickled from the man's forehead - an open wound that didn't look too serious, said McCaughrean.
But the effected speech told McCaughrean that the man needed medical help.
Just after 9 a.m. on March 13 McCaughrean, Spc. Ryan Vaughn and Warrant Officer 1 Mark Kreuger had come upon a car accident on Autobahn 3 near exit 55.
According to Polizei and media reports, a Volkswagen driven by an elderly couple was hit by a Mercedes station wagon, occupied by two men ages 18 and 26, both of Wiesbaden.
As the Soldiers approached the scene, the Volkswagen sat on the right shoulder of the highway. The Mercedes vehicle sat in the middle of the Autobahn; debris spread across the road.
Vaughn and McCaughrean ran to the two vehicles to assess the victims. McCaughrean said he found that the elderly couple was already being helped. He then went to join Vaughn at the second vehicle.
As McCaughrean went to retrieve a medical bag, the two men in the Mercedes vehicle left their car, ran across the Autobahn and fled into a nearby forest.
Vaughn and McCaughrean ran after the men as Krueger stayed behind.
"We told them to halt, but they failed to do so," said McCaughrean.
The Soldiers found the two men - one lying underneath a pine tree and the other kneeling beside him - and tried to convince them to return to the scene for medical help.
It was at that point, McCaughrean said, "you could smell the alcohol coming off the driver."
The men refused to return to the accident scene.
"Our biggest concern was always their medical conditions," said McCaughrean, who then sprinted back to the Autobahn where Kreuger was talking with members of the Polizei.
McCaughrean accompanied the police into the forest where the two men were taken into custody.
"It was fast paced," said McCaughrean whose trio was on its way to training when they came upon the accident, committed to using their medical skills and then chased down and detained two suspects. Having to make decisions "on the fly" and accurately assess the situation, McCaughrean said the military training just kicked in.
"For everybody, military or civilian, get as much education as you can in life," said McCaughrean. "You never know when you'll get to use it for the best of society."
Social Sharing