Arkansas Nat'l Guard recognizes Soldiers life preserving actions after mishap

FORT CHAFFEE JOINT MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Ark., -- Four Arkansas Army National Guard Soldiers were recognized here, May 7, 2026, for their heroic efforts to preserve a Soldier’s life after a May 4 vehicle mishap that injured eight Soldiers.

The Soldiers, who were on duty for annual training, jumped into action after three Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks were involved in a mishap. The first two trucks in the convoy stopped, but the third 10-ton tactical heavy transport truck was unable to stop and veered left to miss but collided with the rear of the middle truck. Each of the four Soldiers were awarded Meritorious Service Medals for their actions in the aftermath of the mishap.

“We’re going to recognize these NCOs,” Brig. Gen. Chad Bridges, Arkansas’ adjutant general told an assembled platoon of Soldiers, civic leaders, and news media. “The first stanza of the Noncommissioned Officer Creed is ‘No one is more professional than I.’ And whether they responded on scene or in the helicopter, they were being a noncommissioned officer, and supporting Soldiers, and doing their duty, and doing it in a professional, distinctive way, and giving of themselves to get the mission accomplished and to take care of each other, and to make things better.

Three of the Soldiers: Sgt. Eduardo Salazar, Staff Sgt. Ryan Niblett, and Staff Sgt. Jorge Ramirez assigned to 936th Forward Support Co., 142nd Field Artillery Brigade, provided immediate care and aid to a seriously injured Soldier who was extricated with the help of local first responders using the jaws of life. Their timely use of belts as make-shift tourniquets preserved a Soldier’s life until local emergency medical services could arrive, extract the injured Soldier, and prepare the injured Soldier for transport. The Soldier was airlifted to a hospital -- nearly 60 miles by air -- in Fayetteville, Ark., and after being stabilized, to a higher level of care 100 miles away by air at a hospital in Springfield, Mo.

Of the other seven injured Soldiers, six were transported by vehicles to a Fort Smith, Ark., hospital. One Soldier was airlifted by a 77th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade UH-72 Lakota to the same Fort Smith, Ark., hospital. The Black Hawk was in the area for annual training, and the crew loitered overhead after learning of the ground mishap to see if their services might be needed for casualty evacuation. The crew airlifted a Soldier for concussion protocol. All seven Soldiers have since returned to duty.

The fourth Soldier recognized was Staff Sgt. James Roach, a flight paramedic. He was recognized for his actions monitoring an injured Soldier while airlifting the Soldier to an area hospital on the Lakota helicopter and the seamless handoff that occurred to a civilian medical care team at the hospital’s heliport to ensure the Soldier received definitive trauma care.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident. After the accident, a brigade-wide safety stand down went into effect to focus on hazard prevention, review safety procedures and reinforce safety training. Training resumed May 5, 2026.