Photo By Spc. Osama Ayyad | Sgt. Anders "Andy" Olafson of Task Force Support , Task Force Spartan (formerly known...... read more read more
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FELTS MILLS, N.Y. - Trapped in time somewhere between flame, water, smoke and snow, the remnants of the two-story apartment building that Sgt. Anders “Andy” Olafson and several other service members called home is now encased in ice after firefighters extinguished a blaze at the complex Jan. 8, 2015, in Felts Mills, New York.
Standing on the only surviving staircase to the second floor, Olafson, in clothes he hadn’t owned for more than a few days, pointed out that it’s not safe to step in too far from the threshold, where the door to one of the apartments, half burnt, was frozen open.
“There is really nothing left to salvage,” said Olafson in tone that reflected more of an observer’s curiosity than the reflections of the person many people are calling a hero, after he alerted other residents to the fire. “It was negative 20 degrees that night, so what the fire spared, water from the firefighters froze over.”
‘Go-to guy’
About a year before the fire, Olafson, who served in Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, “Task Force Spartan,” was promoted to sergeant while deployed to Regional Command-East in Afghanistan. His first sergeant then, 1st Sgt. Larry Sack, appreciated Olafson’s work ethic and get-stuff-done attitude.
“He was still a specialist then, but he was my go-to guy,” Sack said. “He faced some problems right before his deployment, and most people would give up and rather not deploy. Sgt. Olafson handled his situation as if to say, ‘I am ready to deploy.’”
Olafson was going through a tough divorce, but not deploying with his unit was not an option for him.
“My unit needed me, and I wanted to be there for them,” he said.
As a noncommissioned officer, the Madison, Maine, native earned the privilege and responsibility of leading others as a team leader. After the deactivation of 3-71 Cavalry and the rest of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team last year, Olafson, and the remnants of the Spartan Brigade belonged to what has become “Task Force Support,” Task Force Spartan.
“He just got back from the recruiting school,” said 1st Sgt. James J. Johnson, Olafson’s current first sergeant. “The only thing between him and his first recruiting post was outprocessing; the fire changed that.”
Springing to action
A bright flash of light woke Olafson, who had left his bedroom door open to the furnace heat from across the hall for the first time. Barefooted and in sleeping attire, Olafson realized that the hallway wall was on fire.
He had two options when leaving his bedroom: To go left and exit out the door less than 10 feet away, or to go right and alert everyone else. He chose the latter. One of the people there was Shanan Schnurer.
Schnurer went to bed early that night to make sure she could wake up early enough to remove snow from her car.
“Next thing you know, we hear Andy screaming something, but we couldn’t understand,” Schnurer said. “Then he kicked the door in shouting ‘fire!’ I went downstairs and all I [could] think was, ‘I am going to die in this house.’”
Staff Sgt. Luke Hitchcock, another tenant, pushed her over the flames to safety. A minute later, Schnurer said the fire consumed the entire building.
“You couldn’t breathe; you held your breath and hoped you made it, and Andy did that twice to make sure there was no one else in the house,” she said. “[Soldiers] are trained to act – to save people; we wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for Andy.”
The apartment complex was destroyed with nothing to salvage, but no one was left behind. No one had renter’s insurance.
“Thankfully my first sergeant and company commander have done everything in their power to help me out,” said Hitchcock, of B Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. “I am thankful for my chain of command. My commander even offered [to let me] stay at his home, and they gave me ample time to figure out my situation.”
America’s light infantry division is known for its cold weather training, for its rapid deployments and for being one of the most deployed divisions in the Army. Olafson said the 10th Mountain Division should be known for Soldiers who never leave another behind and supportive chains of command.
“You know ... it would have sucked a lot worse if we had lost someone in there,” Olafson said.
“I wouldn’t have left anyone behind in that fire,” Olafson said. “And no one has left me behind, either.”
His squad leader, Sgt. Zachary Mielke, brought him blankets and boots as the house burned down. First Lt. Matthew Ryan brought over a TV, Xbox and combat boots. Other noncommissioned officers from Task Force Support gave him uniforms and he is currently staying at a friend’s house. Johnson and Sack quickly worked on a grant through the Army Emergency Relief.
“Sgt. Maj. [Phelan] Curry and both 1st Sgts. Johnson and Sack have gone above and beyond what I expected,” Olafson said.
Curry, who is transitioning from Task Force Support, Task Force Spartan, and 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, said the unit is doing everything it can do to help Olafson.
“Sgt. 1st Class Katherine Smith passed a hat around for Sgt. Olafson,” he said. “We want to do everything we can to help.”
With a can-do attitude and all of his possessions in the back seat of his truck, Olafson, with help from his friends, noncommissioned officer support channel and chain of command, has been able to postpone his departure for a few more weeks to be better prepared as a recruiter.
Olafson said he looks forward to sharing the great opportunities in the Army with recruits.
“A lot of people don’t know how good an Army career can be,” he said. “Why waste your time in a dead-end job when you are capable of being a highly qualified Soldier?”
There is one thing that Olafson will never forget.
“No Soldier [in my section] will not have renter’s insurance,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.23.2015 16:21 |
| Story ID: | 152619 |
| Location: | FELTS MILLS, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | MADISON, MAINE, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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