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EUREKA, Calif. - Four members of the 132nd Multi-Role Bridge
Company received distinguished awards in March and April for service
rendered during the unit's 2012 deployment to Afghanistan.
Sgt. Arturo Pacheco and Spc. Nathaniel Warvi each earned the
Soldier's Medal for lifesaving actions in July 2012 at great risk to
their own lives. The medal is the highest honor a Soldier can
receive for valor in a non-combat situation.
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Spc. Nathaniel Warvi of the 132nd Multi-Role Bridge Company receives
the Soldier's Medal from California Army National Guard Commander
Maj. Gen. Lawrence A. Haskins on March 1, 2014 in Eureka, Calif.
(California Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Susan Wohle photo by Sgt. Susan Wohle)
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Maj. Gen. Lawrence A. Haskins, Commander of the California Army
National Guard, presents the Soldier's Medal to California
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Cadet Arturo
Pacheco on April 18, 2014. Pacheco was a sergeant in the California
National Guard. (CDCR photo by staff photographer Eric Owens) |
While working on a bridge July 27, 2012, Pacheco and
Warvi received a call to assist at the site of a nearby
accident. They responded in a mine-resistant,
ambush-protected (MRAP) recovery vehicle and found a 54-foot
trailer and semi-truck had rolled over and trapped its
driver.
While Pacheco and Warvi were
using the MRAP's equipment to lift the overturned vehicle
off its driver, the vehicle's batteries fell and stopped 18
inches above a pool of gasoline. Held only by connecting
cables, the batteries posed a major threat of ignition to
the driver and the rescuers.
After about 45 minutes
of work, the man was finally freed and evacuated to receive
medical care.
“When we pulled the truck off of that
guy, we didn't even realize how dangerous it was,” Warvi
said March 1 in Eureka, Calif., after receiving the
Soldier's Medal. “I was in a combat zone more than 2 and a
half miles from any other human being that I've known in my
life besides my co-driver, Sgt. Pacheco."
“When you
are in the moment, you just do the best you can,” he
continued. “It all starts to sink in later when you realize,
‘That was really hairy,' looking back at it.”
Pacheco
received his Soldier's Medal during a separate ceremony
April 18 in Galt, Calif., where he was graduating from the
state's Basic Correctional Officer Academy.
During
pre-deployment training, the 132nd had spent time at Camp
Roberts, Calif., being tutored by the Cal Guard training
element Task Force Warrior.
“In the seven years I've
been in the Army, the best training I've ever received is
from our own Soldiers at Task Force Warrior,” Warvi said.
One of those Soldiers, Sgt. Jeffrey Johanson,
accompanied Warvi to Afghanistan and later stood beside him
March 1 in Eureka, Calif., to receive the Bronze Star.
Johanson's tactical experience gained through two
previous deployments was instrumental during the unit's 2012
tour, when he served as a bridge crew chief. Johanson
previously served on active duty, then had a 16-year break
in service before joining the Guard.
Sgt. Michael
Smith also earned a Bronze Star for his 2012 tour in
Afghanistan, where he served as the primary build site
reconnaissance and layout noncommissioned officer. Smith
joined the Guard at age 17 and has been with the 132nd for
14 years, including three deployments.
A single
father, Smith said March 1 that his 10-year-old son, Hunter,
plans to follow in his father's “bootsteps.”
“He
thinks we're the good guys, and he wants to be one of the
good guys,” Smith said.
Smith added that he enjoys
being in the military and is proud to serve his country.
“The award is a reflection of having a good squad,” he
said. “My guys worked their tails off. Without them I
wouldn't have received this. My accomplishment is their
accomplishment.”
By California Army National Guard by Sgt. Susan Wohle
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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