Post by torpedo on Nov 9, 2019 8:05:27 GMT
Captain Jeb F. Seagle lost consciousness as anti-aircraft fire ripped his Cobra attack helicopter apart over Grenada. The pilot sitting behind Seagle managed to make a crash landing, despite his arm being nearly severed. The hard landing snapped Seagle back to consciousness. He jumped out as flames engulfed the wreckage. The pilot couldn't move. Seagle returned to the burning aircraft and pulled him out of his seat, then dragged him away. As enemy troops fired at them and advanced on their position, Seagle wrapped his helmet communications cable around the pilots arm as a tourniquet, stopping the life-threatening blood loss. He then took the pilot's pistol and ran away from the crash site, yelling and shooting as he diverted enemy attention towards himself. A helicopter landed under fire and recovered the pilot. Seagle's body was later located, executed by the enemy on the beach. For his unselfish heroism saving the life of his pilot, Capt Seagle was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
"...serving as an Cobra Attack Helicopter Pilot with HMM-261, conducting combat operations on the Island of Grenada in support of Operation URGENT FURY, on 25 October 1983. While conducting an armed reconnaissance mission in support of ground forces, Capt Seagle's aircraft was hit by multiple anti-aircraft artillery projectiles and forced down behind enemy lines. Having been knocked out by the blast, Capt Seagle regained consciousness after his fellow pilot had flown the aircraft to impact and found that his aircraft was burning out of control. As Capt Seagle exited the front cockpit, he saw that the other pilot had been critically wounded and remained helplessly trapped. With complete disregard for his own safety, Capt Seagle returned to the aircraft which was now engulfed in flames and pulled him out. As unexpended ordnance began to cook off all around them, Capt Seagle carried the severely wounded pilot well clear of the danger. Now exposed to heavy enemy small arms and machine gun fire and faced with certain death or capture, Capt Seagle ignored the danger and remained to attend the wounds of the injured pilot by wrapping a tourniquet around his severely bleeding arm. Realizing that enemy soldiers were approaching, Capt Seagle fearlessly distracted them away from the helpless pilot and ultimately sacrificed his own life in an effort to buy time for the rescue helicopter to arrive."