Newspaper Article on Doug's Act of Heroism

Doug's story was published in the Scott Air Force paper yesterday, Thursday, June 28th. The article is below, but if you wanted to go the link I've also included it here. 

http://www.amc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123306679

Lt.Col. Douglas Edwards, 906th Air Refueling Squadron commander, receives the Airman’s Medal from Lt. Gen. Mark Ramsay, 18th Air Force commander, in a ceremony at Scott Air Force Base Ill., May 21, 2012. Edwards received the award for rescuing an elderly woman from a burning vehicle Nov. 2, 2009, near King Hill, Idaho. Edwards succeeded in freeing the injured and trapped victim from her car just moments before the entire vehicle became engulfed in flames on the interstate. Local Sheriff Deputies responded within eight minutes of the initial 9-1-1 call about the accident and later told Edwards the victim would have been burned alive if he hadn’t acted so quickly. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Franklin Hayes)  Scott Col. receives Airman's Medal for act of heroism by Maj. Jennifer C. Howsare 126th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs  6/28/2012 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Lt. Col. Doug Edwards, 906th Air Refueling Squadron commander, had no idea he was on a course with destiny when he and his family began their 2009 trip from Joint Base Lewis-McChord Wash., to his new duty station at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. He and his wife, Joy, along with their three children, traveled separately in two vehicles on a desolate stretch of Interstate 84 near King Hill, Idaho, and his actions that day earned him The Airman's Medal. In the early morning hours of their travels, both Doug and Joy Edwards noticed smoke rising ahead on the highway. While neither knew the cause of the black plumes, he said he knew something was not right. "Within seconds, my family and I were the first to arrive on the scene of a single-car accident," he said. "My wife and I each pulled our vehicles to the side of the road and Joy placed a call to 911 as she watched me sprint toward the disabled and smoking vehicle." Edwards said he saw flames were coming from the engine and an elderly female driver was trapped inside the vehicle. He also assessed the driver was alone, and her legs were pinned under the dashboard. All of the windows had been shattered and both the driver and passenger side doors were jammed shut. "I tried to take command of the scene and began shouting instructions and coordinating rescue efforts," he said. "I initially struggled to hold back the fire with small fire extinguishers, but realized they were no match for the rapidly growing flames. "I recognized the only chance for a successful rescue was to remove the woman from the burning vehicle so I refocused on her," he continued. "By now, there was a small crowd gathering, but I noticed I was the only one struggling to pull the woman to safety. Edwards said he was unable to reach into the car to unlatch the driver's seatbelt but a young man lunged through the blown-out passenger side window and unlatched the belt. "About that same time, a second man joined forces with me and we were able to use our combined body weight to pry the driver side door almost off its hinges," he said. "However, once the door was opened I was alone again fighting to free the trapped woman. I noticed the driver was regaining consciousness and I shouted at her to wiggle her body to free her legs; it was then she slipped free from the car's grasp, and I was able to pull her to safety." He added that by that time he got her out, the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames, but the driver and he were a safe distance, so he began to asses her injuries. "My wife and I believe it was divine intervention that placed us near mile marker 129 on I-84 on that cold November day in 2009," he said. "Even though it only took first responders seven minutes to reach the scene after the first 911 call, the car was completely engulfed in flames upon their arrival." Three years later, the Edwards family say they're still humbled by the event and modest regarding recognition. "It was a complex set of circumstances that put us on that road at the right time," Edwards said. "Our memories of that morning still amaze us and the experience is very personal. I feel honored to be receiving attention for doing what, at the time, felt very natural and necessary." Despite his humility, he received The Airman's Medal in a small ceremony May 21. Lt. Gen. Mark Ramsay, 18th Air Force commander, presented the medal and complimented his courageous and humanitarian actions and recognized his acts of heroism involving voluntary risk of his life.

Doug Receives an Airman's Medal

Two and a half years ago Doug pulled a women from a burning car and saved her life. The Airman's Medal he received on Monday, May 21st was in recognition of his act of heroism. 

Click here to read about the story. 

It was a long process to award him this medal that was given to him by General Ramsey. His Decoration was personally signed by the Secretary of the Air Force, Mr. Michael Donley, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Nortan Schwartz. The Airman's Medal is the 9th highest medal that can be awarded to an airman. It is actually higher in rank than a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

 Airman's Medal

Background
This decoration was established by 10 U.S. Code 8750, on July 6, 1960, and takes the place of the Soldier's Medal for Air Force personnel.

Criteria
It is awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States or of a friendly nation who, while serving in any capacity with the United States Air Force after the date of the award's authorization, who have distinguished himself or herself by a heroic act, usually at the voluntary risk of his or her life but not involving actual combat. The saving of a life or the success of the voluntary heroic act is not essential. Do not award for normal performance of duties.

Medal Description
This medal was designed and sculpted by Thomas Hudson Jones of the Institute of Heraldry. On the obverse of the circular medal is the figure of the Greek god Hermes, son of Zeus, resting on one knee. He has just released from his open hands an American Bald Eagle, shown rising into flight. Within the raised rim of the medal, is the inscription Airman's Medal in raised letters. The reverse of the medal, has a raised outer edge and bears the inscription, For Valor above a space for the recipient's name which is within a stylized laurel wreath open at the top and tied at the bottom.

The Airman's Medal is unique in that its shape does not follow the octagonal shape of its counterparts, the Soldier's Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Coast Guard Medal. It had been established practice heretofore to design military decorations with a distinctive shape, so that they would not be confused at a distance with service or campaign medals, which are always circular in shape. The reason for this is because the design was originally approved for use as The Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.

Ops Group Christmas Party

We plan two parties a year with all the other squadrons in the Ops Group at Scott. 

Since the Ops Group Commander's spouse does not live here, the planning falls on the shoulders of the Commanders' spouses. Unfortunately, no one was stepping up to organize the event, so I reluctantly volunteered because I was the only one asking questions. However, it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened because now I don't have to plan another Ops Group event for the rest of Doug's command. 

One of the Commander's spouses came up with a game where the kids decorate all the Squadron Commanders as Christmas trees. Our kids we're very excited to wrap Doug up and it definitely provided great humor for everyone watching.

 

 The most exciting part for the kids was seeing Santa fly in on a C-21.

All of the parents brought wrapped books for their kids that Santa handed out.

It turned out really well and I'm not sure if any kids figured out that their parents had 

bought the books!

Pritzker Military Library Liberty Gala

Doug and I had an amazing opportunity to go up to Chicago for a gala we knew nothing about. I know that must sound strange. Why would it be an amazing opportunity if we knew nothing about it? Well, we knew enough to know it was a big deal at $500 a plate, and we were going for free. The Air National Guard is offered tickets each year and the Wing Commander couldn't go so he decided to give them to us. We definitely saw this as a perk for working with the ANG because this definitely wouldn't have happened on the active duty side. We stayed at the Westin along the Magnificent Mile and these were pictures taken from the hotel.

The Jones' watched our kids so we could go. It was so nice to have friends who were willing to do that for us. I actually think this was the first time since having Jacob that we did anything overnight without the kids that was for enjoyment. The only other times we've been gone overnight was to have a baby or search for a house in a marathon weekend.

The funniest thing about our night was when we were at cocktail hour we saw a lady with a kid on her hip. We both said to each other, "She must be related to someone important." Well, we soon found out she was because we were seated at her table which, by the way, was the head table. When Doug and I realized this we were in shock. As the dinner started we quickly found out that Doug was sitting next to the founder of the library and I was sitting next to a Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean War, Hershel "Woody" Williams. This completely happened by accident because there was no assigned seating at the head table, so what were the chances of that?

 This is a picture of us with the founder Ret. Col. John Pritzker of the IL ARNG

 This picture is with Hershel "Woody" Williams. He insisted that I stand in the middle which I thought was sweet. During dinner I found out he was 88 years old. There were quite a few people walking up to him during dinner and I thought to myself "I'm sitting next to this guy and there's people just hoping to have a few minutes to talk to him." That was pretty surreal. 

In addition to sitting next to two amazing people, we received books from the authors who were being awarded that night for books they have written. One was Bitter Victory by Carlo D'Este and the other was Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. Doug got them personally signed by the authors which we were very excited about. We also met Carl Colby, and his wife, who made the movie of his father called "The Man Nobody Knew, In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby".

All in all, it was an amazing night that we will not forget. Everything was so unexpected and those are some of the greatest surprises of all.

Boys Golf Outing

Doug took the boys golfing last Sunday. 

Surprisingly, it ended up being cooler than normal that afternoon, which made their time on the course very enjoyable.

Did you notice that they are all wearing Yankee hats?

Next Sunday we are driving up to Chicago to see the Yankees play the White Sox for Jacob's birthday. 

He can't wait...or should I say, we can't wait!!

Happy 40th Doug!

Doug's Change of Command

 Doug's Change of Command for the

906th ARS was on May 10, 2011

It was a very proud day for those of us who have supported Doug throughout his career. 

We all know how much he deserved this honor and we know he will exceed everyones expectations as a commander in the United States Air Force.

After the ceremony the kids and I stood next to Doug in the receiving line to meet all the people who attended. The kids did an excellent job and had a lot of fun shaking everyones hand.

 Family that was able to attend from left to right:

Faith, Earl, Scott, Vivian, us, Jeanne, Dan, Elena, Kay

Audrey was a snuggle-puss the whole week. She loved giving everyone hugs and sitting on their lap.

These two pictures of Audrey with her aunts Elena and Jeanne are absolutely precious.

Doug's Visit

I meant to get a picture of Doug while he was home, but the camera never came out. However, we all had a wonderful, relaxing weekend together. On Saturday, Doug took the boys to get a haircut, then we played Wii together almost the whole day and watched a movie together that night. We went to church today, then came home and relaxed. Put a Pot Roast in the crock pot, played board games, had an late lunch/early dinner then headed off to the airport around 3:45 pm. When we were pulling into the terminal Ethan asks "Are we going with you Dad?" So sweet, but it also made me sad. However, our practical son Jacob had quick response to his question. "No Ethan, how can we do that? We didn't pack any bags. We have to pack clothes if we're going on a trip, otherwise we wouldn't have anything to wear."

Doug Left Today

Doug got his car packed up this morning and is on the road heading down to Altus, OK.  He is flying back home on Friday for the 3-day weekend, but after that we're not sure how often he will make it home. The class is suppose to end the last week in April, then his Change of Command will be on Wednesday, May 4th.

Updates

Since I haven't been blogging much lately I've missed announcing and updating a few things. For those of you who haven't heard....

Doug was picked up to be the next Squadron Commander of the 906th Air Refueling Squadron here at Scott AFB. He will be assuming command in April or May after spending four months in Altus, OK for requal training to fly the KC-135. This means he will be gone from January through April, but we will be at Scott AFB until the spring of 2013.

Doug's mom's recovery from open heart surgery is going well. It's been four weeks since her surgery, so she has two to four more weeks until she's fully recovered. We're very happy that things have gone well and that the surgery and recovery have gone fairly smoothly.

My sister is preparing for her open heart surgery in December for an aortic aneurysm and leaky valve. She found a doctor she is very happy with and she has decided to go tissue instead of mechanical which seemed like an impossible decision for her to make until recently. It was definitely an answer to prayer since that decision was weighing heavily on her mind. Through my sister's situation, we've learned that there might be a genetic link to arotic aneurysms and leaky valves. Our uncle also has an arotic aneurysm and leaky valve that doesn't require operation yet and my father has a leaky valve. I am having a ecochardiogram at the end of the month. My older sister had one on Wednesday and they now want to do a CT Scan next week. I haven't spoken to my brother about it yet so I'm not sure where he is at in the process. The problem with an aortic aneurysm is that if it burst it would result in instant death so this is definitely not something our family is taking lightly.

Doug turns 39!!

I made one of Doug's favorite meals, chicken tacos and corn tomatillio, and invited some of our friends over for ice cream cake from Cold Stone. Yummy!

Doug's Act of Heroism

On the second day of our four day drive from Washington to Illinois we came upon an accident that had just happened. Doug and I were talking on the phone driving separate cars and I was in the lead when I saw a car that was badly banged up. Glass was covering both lanes and as I passed the car I could see someone in there. I initially thought there were two people, but Doug quickly learned that there was only one person. I was a bit confused because the car was obviously in a single-car accident, but there was also another car behind that car that was just sitting there. As soon as I told Doug there was an accident and he saw for himself what had happened he told me to pull over and call 911. He jumped out and when I looked in my rear view mirror I saw flames coming out of the hood of the car. I quickly realized that Doug was putting himself in danger to try and save this person's life and I panicked for a second thinking that the car could blow up while he was trying to help. Then, I realized that there was nothing I could do except pray, so I turned to the kids in the car and told them we needed to pray. They immediately folded their hands and closed their eyes and I prayed for Doug's safety, the person that was stuck in the car and that Doug would get the help he needed to get this person out. Other cars stopped as they came upon the accident and my view of what was taking place was beginning to be obstructed. From what I could see there were people standing around, but no one seemed to be helping Doug. Then, I saw the person being carried and laid on the ground. At that point the flames were getting bigger and bigger and the car was completely on fire when the paramedics arrived. A person walking back to their car told me that three guys somehow pulled the door open. I knew that one of those three guys was my husband. After the paramedics left Doug walked over to us and I could tell something was wrong because of the way he was holding his hands and moving his arms. I realized once he got to me that it was because he had blood all over his hands. He told me that there were two guys that came from the other side of the median to help him. They somehow pried the door open and Doug pulled the lady from the car. He said he could see the dashboard starting to bubble from the heat and it was only minutes from being too late. After everything started to sink in, Doug called the state trooper for more information. He learned the first 911 call, which was not mine, was only 7 minutes before trooper arrived. In that short 7 minutes, we pulled over from the freeway, Doug rescued the women from the car and the entire car was engulfed in flames according to the trooper. Also, the lady in the car was a 72 year old women who had 8 children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was on her way to the airport to go see her newest great-grandchild. She had fallen asleep at the wheel, hit the median, jerked the car back to the road and flipped it from front to back. She had no broken bones and was able to leave the hospital within days after it happen. Doug had a chance to talk to her son and he was pretty emotional about the whole thing. He told Doug he had no idea who he saved and that she is one of those people who has a bigger than life personality. The next few days of our drive was consumed with thoughts about what had happen. Doug was amazed that he was put in that place at that time for that event. The odds of having us being the first ones on the scene of that accident was definitely an act of God. Also, we never found out what happen with the other car we saw when we pulled up. Our guess is that he was in shock because he saw what happen and was unable to respond.

Doug Turns 38!

Q: How much better could it get for Doug than going to see the Mariner's with his kids on his birthday?

A: Going to see the Yankee's on his birthday with his kids.

Father's Day

Father's Day got off to a slow start after our late night out for our anniversary. However, we had a great day at Burfoot Park!