FORT STEWART, Ga. - It was Valentine’s day and Sergeant William O’Brien, IV and Spc. Brian Darby of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, had just treated their Families to dinner at Kobes Japanese Steakhouse in Hinesville.
Sergeant O’Brien had stepped outside as Spc. Darby finished paying his bill, and as he walked out the door he saw Sgt. O’Brien looking back at him and pointing to the highway.
“When I got outside, a car had just rolled into the ditch and a [sports utility vehicle had swerved around] and a man lying on the ground,” described Sgt. O’Brien, a platoon sergeant for operations for HHC and a native of Charleston, S.C.
The Soldiers ran onto the street, dodging the traffic that continued to drive around the accident, and tried to assess how badly the man was injured.
“There were still cars flying right behind us,” said Spc. Darby, the HHC armorer and a native of Orlando, Fla.
Sergeant O’Brien jumped into their vehicles, pulling them into the road to stop traffic, and then grabbed an aid bag Spc. Darby keeps inside his truck.
“Once we got over there, the guy was out of it,” said Spc. Darby. “He couldn’t tell you his name, where he was, the president, nothing.”
As Spc. Darby, who worked for a fire department prior to joining the Army, began trying to assess how severely the pedestrian was injured, Sgt. O’Brien went to the car in the ditch to check on the driver.
“From my understanding, she was slowing down for the man to cross outside of a cross walk and the [other vehicle] hit her from the rear,” Sgt. O’Brien explained. “I guess she was in shock from watching the man roll over her windshield, and she just let the car do its own thing and it went into the ditch.”
The female passenger of the second car was slightly pinned in her seat from the impact of the crash, but otherwise the occupants of the SUV were unharmed as far as Sgt. O’Brien could determine. So the two continued providing aid for the pedestrian and the lady in the ditch until the paramedics arrived.
“When the paramedics showed up on scene, one came over and I gave her a full detailed assessment of what I could see of the patient,” said Spc. Darby.
Specialist Darby helped the paramedics stabilize the man and moved him into an ambulance as they decided what needed to be done.
“She finally asked me to go get one of the firefighters to call for a helicopter,” he explained. “The helicopter came 18 minutes later and they life-flighted him from the baseball field right down the street to a Savannah hospital.”
The rest of the people were treated for their injuries and after a long night, the two Soldiers were exhausted, but glad they could help.
“If it wasn’t for me and Sgt, O’Brien that night, the chances of that man living weren’t going to be favorable,” said Spc. Darby. “That’s what it comes down to. We weren’t out there to do anything except to help, because if we were down there, we would want someone to help us.”
Over the next few weeks and months, the two have been getting more and more recognition for their actions.
The paramedics who were on scene wrote a letter of appreciation listing all the support the two provided that directly resulted in saving the pedestrians life.
Their chain of command all the way up to the Maj. Gen. Robert Abrams, 3rd Infantry Division commander, recognized them for their good deed, and they received Army Commendation Medals.
Specialist Darby said he even goes places around post and is sometimes asked if he is “that Darby” who saved the lives.
But being recognized doesn’t change who they are.
“It hasn’t changed anything in my life just for the simple fact is that I was there to help,” explained Spc. Darby. “I am glad he is up and walking around and doing better, but I don’t go around asking other people, ‘Hey, what have you done in your life?’ I’m not better than anybody else. People in other brigades know who I am, which to me is pretty cool, but in my book and in my close friends and coworkers book, I’m just me. Every day I just put my pants on one leg at a time and do what I need to.”
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