As a result, Airmen 1st Class Cristopher Horton and Christian Reid, both with the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron Foxtrot Flight Night Alarm Response Team, were awarded Air Force Commendation Medals for their actions.
Kimball County sheriff’s officials said the airmen observed a house was on fire as they were conducting flight area familiarization and patrol at a missile area on Nov. 7. The airmen sprung into action and instructed a neighbor to alert the fire department while they rescued the family, who didn’t even know their home was going up in smoke at the time, and their three pets.
The airmen also assisted the firefighters once they arrived.
“Only one firefighter showed up at first, and we helped him by controlling the hydrant and he handled the hose,” Horton said, according to an Air Force news release. “When more fire department personnel arrived, we stayed behind to comfort the family.”
The airmen didn’t depart the scene until the situation had stabilized. They left, according to the Air Force, without seeking “recognition or fanfare.”
Col. Damian Schlussel, 90th Security Forces Group commander, said all security forces airmen receive training as first responders because those skills may be needed at any time. The airmen “used those skills, put them to use and saved lives,” he said
“At the end of the day, they just wanted to make sure this family was okay,” Schlussel said, according to the news release. “That’s why they did it and they didn’t want the recognition for it.”
“Two of our core values — service before self and excellence in all we do — they epitomize those core values for the Air Force,” Schlussel said.
The airmen received the Air Force Commendation Medals Nov. 15 at F.E. Warren’s base theater. The 90th Missile Wing is based out of F.E. Warren and is responsible for operating nuclear missile silos in areas of Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado.