KOSOVO –  On Sept. 30, a squad of Missouri National Guardsmen left Camp Bondsteel early in the morning for a routine patrol that soon became anything but.

According to Staff Sgt. Richard Boley of Chillicothe, he and his fellow soldiers in 2nd Squad, 1st Platoon of Battery B, 1/129th Field Artillery came upon a single vehicle accident carrying five people.

“We had just left to go on patrol and the accident was on our route,” said Boley. “We couldn’t miss it. They were right along the side of the road in a ditch with the mother sitting on the ground by the car.”

The six citizen-soldiers acted quickly to offer assistance. In dense fog the car had lost control, hitting a power pole, injuring four of the five passengers. Among them was an infant with a life-threatening head injury, her mother, who had a broken arm and leg, an elderly woman with head, hand and back injuries, and a 14-year-old girl in shock with cuts on her face. The father, who was driving, was unharmed.

“We started treating the passengers the best we could and directed traffic to keep anybody else from getting hurt until the Kosovo Police and medical personnel arrived,” said Boley. “It was extremely foggy that morning and you couldn’t see very far.”

As Boley radioed back to Camp Bondsteel for help, Spc. Donald Derickson of Green City, and Spc. Carl Swan, of Brunswick, began treating the infant. Pfc. Michael Jessa of Chillicothe helped the teenager, keeping her calm as he cleaned her cuts. Jessa set her in the front seat of the Humvee to keep her warm and to monitor her for further injuries.

Sgt. Michael Prince, of Columbia, and Spc. Nathan Curl, of Chillicothe, climbed into the car to assist the elderly woman.........