HERO'S FLYING HIGH SERGEANT SAVED LIFE OF MAN.Byline: Daily News EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. - An Edwards Air Force Base sergeant was recognized as a hero for saving the life of another man whose parachute deployed accidentally at the open door of a C-17 cargo plane cargo plane n → avión m de carga cargo plane n → avion-cargo m cargo plane cargo n → in flight. Tech. Sgt. Thomas Fields grabbed the open parachute and pulled the other man away from the door, preventing him from being dragged out of the aircraft and banged against its side. Fields, a noncommissioned officer non·com·mis·sioned officer n. Abbr. NCO An enlisted member of the armed forces, such as a corporal, sergeant, or petty officer, appointed to a rank conferring leadership over other enlisted personnel. in charge of standardization and evaluation for the 418th Flight Test Squadron, received the 2001 Cheney Award The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page. from Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. John Jumper in an Aug. 20 ceremony at the Pentagon. The incident happened in January 2001 when Fields and three other loadmasters were on board a C-17 Globemaster III, conducting a test using mannequins to simulate paratroopers. The aircraft was flying at 1,200 feet with its left paratroop door open. As one of the loadmasters reached up to close the door, his rip cord 1. (Aëronautics) A cord by which the gas bag of a balloon may be ripped open for a limited distance to release the gas quickly and so cause immediate descent. 2. a cord which, when pulled, opens a parachute. snagged on something and his parachute opened. Fields grabbed the deployed parachute and pulled the other man away as another loadmaster load·mas·ter n. An aircraft crew member in charge of loading and unloading cargo or heavy weapons. An Air Force technician qualified to plan loads, to operate auxiliary materials handling equipment, and to supervise loading and unloading closed the door. ``It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion,'' Fields said. ``But once I realized what was happening, my training took over and I managed to grab the chute and secure the situation.'' Jumper called Fields a hero, and said that he is a seasoned loadmaster, having served many years on the C-141 Starlifter before becoming an expert on the C-17. The sergeant said his actions were something anyone would have done, and called the award a highlight of his career. ``It's an honor to receive this award,'' Fields said. ``Another loadmaster or airman would've done the same thing. I just reacted.'' The Cheney Award was created in memory of 1st Lt. William Cheney, who was killed in an aircraft training accident in Foggia, Italy, in 1918. The award recognizes an act of valor valor a rodenticide no longer marketed because of toxicity in horses causing dehydration, abdominal pain, hindlimb weakness, inappetence, fishy smell in urine. Called also N-3-pyridyl methyl N1-p-nitrophenyl urea. , extreme fortitude or self-sacrifice in connection with an aviation event. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Tech. Sgt. Thomas Fields pulled another man to safety after his parachute opened by the cargo door of a C-17. Air Force |
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