Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Ward | Cadet 2nd Class Wyatt Bell, left, and Cadets 1st Class Nicole Hedges and Tobias Temple...... read more read more
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By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – One early September night in Colorado Springs, a motorist flipped her car off the busy interstate, leaving her trapped inside. While cars continued to pass the scene, three cadets specifically trained in service before self pulled over to provide motorist assistance.
Cadets 1st Class Nicole Hedges and Tobias Temple and Cadet 2nd Class Wyatt Bell were returning to the Academy at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 7 when they spotted an overturned vehicle on an I-25 off-ramp. The cadets immediately pulled over to assist the woman trapped inside. Hedges directed traffic while her fellow cadets worked on safely removing the motorist from her vehicle. They waited with the driver for emergency responders to arrive after a passerby called 911.
Each cadet credited multiple aspects of their Academy training, beginning with the Leader of Character Framework.
“You face many situations with many leadership opportunities at the Academy,” said Temple, a Management major who will begin undergraduate pilot training after graduation. “We see many examples of cadets and permanent parties leading by putting people first. I feel we had the same mentality in our situation, following our Leader of Character Framework.”
The Academy seeks to educate and train its cadets to become U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force officers of character motivated to lead in service of the nation.
Since that night, Academy leadership from the group and squadron commanders to Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Gavin Marks praised the assistance the cadets provided the motorist.
“On behalf of the command teams of all these cadets, I am extremely proud of their actions that night,” said Col. Aarti Puri, Cadet Group 1 commander. “By having the courage to do what was right in that moment and applying their training, possibly putting themselves in harm’s way in the service of others, they clearly demonstrated the qualities we wish to instill in our future officers. These cadets serve as a shining example to us all of what it means to be a leader of character.”
The cadets were returning to the Academy from eating together in Colorado Springs that Friday night when they observed the vehicle overturned on the interstate off-ramp. They saw no one trying to help the trapped motorist, so they pulled over, not knowing the woman’s condition.
The trio decided the plan that made the most sense was for Hedges to direct traffic past the scene while Bell and Temple would approach the car to check on the trapped driver. They considered flipping the car but kicked in the driver’s side window instead. Bell asked if she was OK and if she could feel her neck.
“That night, we had the kind of teamwork we have down at the airfield,” Bell said. Bell is a Geospatial Science major hoping to also land a pilot training slot when he graduates in 2026. “We call it crew coordination. It was a little nerve-racking, not knowing what we were going to see when we got to the car. We were just thankful she was coherent enough for us to ask her a few questions.”
Once they made a large enough opening in the window, they removed the woman’s seatbelt and noticed a considerable amount of blood in the car. Once they had the driver safely out of the car, they saw the blood came from her hands from cuts from the broken glass. While they helped the motorist, a bystander arrived on the scene and called for an ambulance.
During the minutes until emergency personnel and police arrived, the cadets stayed with the woman, trying to keep her calm. She was shaken from the trauma and frightened, Hedges said.
“We could tell that she was almost hysterical and panicked when we got her out of the car,” said Hedges, a Geospatial Science major who will be a U.S. Air Force weather and environmental science officer. “She just wanted to grab onto somebody when she realized that she was still alive. We just kept telling her, ‘It’s OK. You’re OK,’ trying to console her.”
Looking back, each cadet gives credit to their Academy training along with their individual conscience for knowing to stop to help and what they needed to do to assist. They recalled lessons from Basic Cadet Training, especially tactical combat casualty care. Bell and Temple pointed to training during their experiences in the 94th Flying Training Squadron soaring programs. While flying in gliders together, they learned to stay calm no matter the situation.
Throughout the situation, the three cadets fell back on their development as leaders of character, Temple said.
“I believe everyone has to feel a strong obligation to do the right thing,” Temple said. “But the Academy highlights the necessity to service before self. That night, it all came back to the way this place builds your moral compass.”
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.25.2024 16:27 |
| Story ID: | 483975 |
| Location: | U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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