Nellis airmen ‘formed human chain’ to save hikers caught in flash flood at Zion National Park
By Alyssa Roberts
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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A pregnant woman was among four people helped to safety during a flash flood at Zion National Park by a group of airmen stationed in Las Vegas.
The seven airmen were awarded for their act of heroism on Monday with a coining ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base.
The airmen were making their way along a popular hiking trail at Zion earlier this month when “they noticed the river rising — a tell-tale sign of an oncoming flash flood,” according to a new release from Nellis Air Force Base.
While they made their way to higher ground, the airmen “spotted a woman floating on her back who appeared battered, blue, and lifeless,” Air Force officials wrote.
Airman 1st Class D’marqus Norman was able to withstand the force of the current to pull the woman to shore. She was said to be “barely responsive” for an hour as the team called for help.
As the group made their way down the canyon to a location where an air evacuation was possible, the woman told the airmen she was pregnant and that she had been traveling with three other people.
Along the trail, the team encountered the woman’s husband and her other two companions, one of whom officials say was stuck on the other side of the river with an injured knee.
“The airmen knew that the injured man would not be able to traverse the current and formed a human chain to get him across the river,” officials wrote. “Linked arm-in-arm, the team of Airmen were able to bring the man across…”
Eventually, the seven airmen worked together to get all four people to an area where rescue personnel could get to them, Nellis officials stated.
Air Force officials say these airmen’s actions exemplify the organization’s core values of “Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.”
The seven airmen who were honored were identified as follows:
Airman 1st Class Will Martin Airman 1st Class D’marqus Norman Airman 1st Class Maximos Olade Airman 1st Class Jacob Stillwell Airman 1st Class Rony Lopez-Aguilar Airman Andres Parra Airman Christopher Reyes
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