Even as flames from a wrecked vehicle grew larger, Spc. Elvis Romero stayed calm and worked quickly to free the vehicle’s driver, a soldier who was unconscious and pinned inside.
Romero watched the flames spark in the smashed engine while he and another soldier unbuckled the unconscious man and carefully pulled him from the vehicle.
Romero never hesitated. Walking away was unfathomable, he said.
“I wanted to make sure he was OK,” Romero said, recalling the multiple vehicle crash that happened outside Simmons Army Airfield in December 2016.
Romero, a three-year veteran who works as a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense specialist for the 3rd Airfield Operations Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, was honored Wednesday with the Soldier’s Medal for his actions. The Soldier’s Medal is awarded for acts of heroism outside of battle.
“It’s an honor and a privilege,” Romero said, after he received the medal during a ceremony at Simmons Army Airfield.
Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, deputy commander of Forces Command, commended Romero’s efforts.
“Spc. Romero wasn’t thinking on that day, ‘What happens to me?’,” she said. “In terms of what Spc. Romero did and the Soldier’s Medal, I’m very proud to present that to him.”
Last week, Sgt. Jeffrey Rose, an Apache mechanic for the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, received the Soldier’s Medal for his actions during the crash.
The crash occurred outside the gate at Simmons just before 6 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2016, when Romero was driving to physical training. He saw a Humvee collide with a car about 40 meters in front of him.
Romero pulled over and rushed to the crash to check for injured people.
He and Rose went to the wrecked vehicle, where they determined the driver was unconscious and pinned under the steering column.
Romero saw a baby seat in the back of the wrecked car. There wasn’t a child inside, but Romero thought about the man and his family as he worked to free him.
Once Romero and Rose got the unconscious soldier away from the fiery wreck, they performed basic first aid and stayed with him until emergency responders arrived.
The unconscious soldier was taken to a hospital, where he recovered from his injuries.
“Time is very sensitive and you had to move quickly,” Romero said. “I don’t know why I did it. I’d like to say anyone would get out to assist.”
It wasn’t surprising to hear for Romero’s wife, America Romero, a specialist assigned to another unit on Fort Bragg. She attended the ceremony with the couple’s 6-month-old daughter Anastasia.
“He always put others in front of himself,” she said. “He’s very brave. I’m happy that he gets to be recognized.”
Staff writer Amanda Dolasinski can be reached at adolasinski@fayobserver.com or 486-3528.