Photo By Sgt. David Resnick | Robert Chase was awarded the Secretary of the Army Award for Valor for his heroic...... read more read more
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Robert Chase has been awarded the Secretary of the Army Award for Valor for his heroic actions to help rescue a man and his dog from an overturned vehicle last November.
The commendation recognizes civilian employees and private citizens who perform an act of heroism or sacrifice with voluntary risk to their safety in the face of danger, both on and off the job.
Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth presented Chase, a senior fisheries biologist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, with the award Sept. 5, 2024, during a ceremony at the Pentagon.
Chase was surprised to learn from his supervisor that he’d been awarded the medal and it would be presented at the Pentagon, he said. He’d been told that he would receive some type of commendation but was not expecting this level of recognition.
“It means a lot for your chain of command to recognize something like this and push it all the way forward, literally all the way to the Secretary of the Army. It was an inspiring moment.”
Chase received the award for his actions on Nov. 9, 2023, when he and his partner were spending the weekend at a Marin County cabin. As they drove home from dinner, they came upon a car accident.
“When I first saw it, I thought I stumbled across a movie scene or something like that,” said Chase.
As they approached the accident scene, they could see an overturned vehicle in a ravine with a small fire nearby. Chase and his partner responded immediately.
They could hear faint mumbles and noises as they got closer to the vehicle and called 911, he said. Two other motorists stopped at the scene soon after they arrived as well. One drove to the nearby town seeking additional assistance while the second stayed to help free the occupants from the overturned vehicle.
According to Chase, the combination of the growing fire on the passenger side and the ravine on the driver side made it challenging to get the car door open and get the victim out.
While Chase’s significant other dug on the back end of the door to try and clear dirt out from underneath, Chase and the other individual were trying to force an opening to free the driver.
“And then we start kicking the door, just trying to get it open the best we could,” Chase explains. “When we finally got in there, of course, all the airbags are deployed so the other guy found a sharp piece of shrapnel and we started stabbing the airbags so we can get in there.”
Shortly after pulling out the driver and his chihuahua, the vehicle exploded, engulfing the car in flames, he added.
Chase, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years, said his military, CPR, and first aid rescue trainings all helped, and he suffered only a few cuts and bruises from the harrowing experience.
“Each person handles these situations differently,” said Chase. “I’m a disabled combat vet so, to me, it was just a reaction type deal. At the end of the day if I’m ever stuck in that scenario, hopefully someone does the same thing.”
| Date Taken: | 10.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.10.2024 19:26 |
| Story ID: | 482968 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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