An overturned vehicle lies amid debris on highway A72 near Plauen, Germany, after a crash May 22, 2023. U.S. soldiers assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment assisted the crash victims after the multi-car collision injured at least four people. (Zwickau Police)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — German police honored six U.S. soldiers this week for rushing to the scene of a horrific highway crash and rendering lifesaving first aid last year.
On Wednesday, the Zwickau Police Directorate acknowledged the actions of Staff Sgt. Joseph Williams, Pvt. Isaac Salsberry, and Sgts. Brandon Williams, Nicolas Gomez, Jarrett Long and Ulises Magana-Hernandez, all members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment based in Vilseck.
“I was incredibly scared, but thanks to my training I was able to overcome my fear and concentrate on the accident and the injured,” Magana-Hernandez told German broadcaster MDR Saxony on Wednesday. “To receive this honor and recognition today means a lot to me.”
Following a NATO exercise in Poland on May 22, 2023, the crew was making its way south through the eastern German state of Saxony to their base in Bavaria, when they came upon the multi-car wreckage on highway A72 near Plauen.
A 71-year-old German, driving a Fiat and seemingly unaware of the halted traffic ahead, crashed into a Volkswagen at full speed.
The impact set off a domino effect. The Volkswagen crashed into a Skoda, which then slammed into a Porsche, according to a German police report.
Four people, including the 27-year-old Volkswagen driver, his 33-year-old passenger, and the Skoda passenger, 42, suffered serious injuries. Information on the current health status of the victims was unavailable.
The 2nd Cavalry soldiers extracted the accident victims from the mangled vehicles and gave them first aid until emergency responders arrived.
On Wednesday, the soldiers received commendation certificates, German police caps and a tour of a local museum.
U.S. Army Sgt. Ulises P. Magana-Hernandez, attached to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, speaks at a recognition ceremony at the Zwickau Police headquarters, Zwickau, Germany, March 27, 2024. Magana-Hernandez thanked the German police for recognizing him and the five other soldiers following their involvement in assisting civilians with emergency medical treatment during a traffic incident in May of 2023. (Andrew Clark/U.S. Army)
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment stand for a group photo at the August Horch Museum in Zwickau, Germany, March 27, 2024, following a guided tour of the museum and a recognition ceremony at the Zwickau Police headquarters. The soldiers were recognized by the Zwickau Police Department for aiding four injured local citizens following a traffic incident in May of 2023. (Andrew Clark/U.S. Army)
“You saved people’s lives that day,” Steffen Doebric, head of the Zwickau traffic police, told the soldiers during the ceremony, MDR reported.
Dirk Lichtenberger, the head of Zwickau police, deemed the soldiers’ efforts a gesture of friendship that went beyond the call of duty.
“One thing is that these soldiers selflessly provided first aid in such an accident,” Lichtenberger told MDR. “But I also think about the fact that they are doing their duty many thousands of kilometers away from home and are doing this duty for our safety. That is another reason why we would like to thank them.”
