By Spc. Johnny A. Thompson, USA

Fort Hood, TX., February 21, 2001 — Soldiers of the 507th Medical Company rescued a bus driver and three young children Feb. 16 after a school bus was swept by storm waters into a river near Waco, Texas.

The accident took place at the end of an all-night storm as the school bus reportedly tried to cross a washed-out section of highway in Bosque County. Stuck in the high water, the bus was swept into the Bosque River and taken down stream about 50 to 60 feet.

The 507th air ambulance unit at Fort Hood was in the midst of a crew change when a call came from the Texas Department of Public Safety around 7:30 a.m., rescuers said.

"We were doing preflight checks for the crew change when the call came in, so we gained valuable flight time when we found out the latitude and longitude of the accident locale," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Derek Mitchell, the team's pilot. "We were able to get there in about 30 minutes."

An area fire department had the bus stable in the river with rope when the 507th Medical Company arrived at the scene. The bus was filled with about two feet of water as the crew of four soldiers began work to hoist the bus occupants through an emergency exit.

"The weather conditions made it a little tougher to get the people out of the bus, because it had rained all night and it was still very windy," said flight medic Sgt. Michael Thomas. "So, my main concern was to get everyone out of the bus before winds pushed the bus farther down stream or the bus filled with more water."

The bus occupants - a 5-year-old girl, 7- and 11-year-old boys and a male driver - remained calm and cooperated with the MEDEVAC team, which helped expedite the mission, Thomas said.

"A total team effort between us (507th Medical Company) and the local authorities who were on the scene when we arrived helped make the mission a complete success," Mitchell said.

"It took about 20 minutes to get everyone out of the bus onto safe ground," Mitchell said. "It was a great mission for the 507th. We coached each other and discussed what we needed to do to get everyone out safely" he said, adding that his co-pilot 1st Lt. Angie Presnell and crew chief Pfc. Brent Towne assisted Thomas.

"It just re-emphasizes the result of proper training is a successful mission," Mitchell said.

No serious injuries occurred in the accident, authorities said. The bus occupants were treated on the scene for minor cuts and scratches.

(Editor's note: Spc. Johnny A. Thompson is a member of the 4th Public Affairs Detachment at Fort Hood.)

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