Army Ranger Saves Fellow Soldier From Burning Car

The following events took place near Tacoma, Washington, last Friday, August 9th.

What would you do if you were driving along a busy interstate and you saw a car veer out of its lane, smack a barrier, and catch fire?

You are quickly approaching the accident, and no one is stopping to help. Someone is inside that burning car. What would you do?

Most people will drive by without bothering to help. It is called the bystander effect.

Joe Thatch is not like most people; he’s an Army Ranger.

Thatch was driving northbound on Interstate 5 near the Tacoma Dome last Friday when he saw the burning car in the distance. He noticed that no one had pulled over to help, and he thought to himself, “Well, if not me, then who?”

Army Rangers of the 75th Ranger Regiment have a motto, “Sua Sponte.” Literally, this means “of their own accord.” In practice, it reflects the ethos of the Rangers, emphasizing their ability to operate independently, take initiative, and accomplish missions with self-reliance and determination.

Joe took the initiative that day to save an unknown person from a burning car. He made it his mission to do the right thing.

Speaking about the incident, Thatch would later say:

“That’s somebody’s son, brother, or dad, and immediately, it’s something that I thought that I would want someone to do for someone I cared about.”

Ranger Thatch, with 18 years of military service and training behind him, pulled the man from the car and moved him a safe distance from the vehicle. At this point, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) had been called and were on their way. Thatch could hear the sirens in the distance growing closer.

When questioned about why he stopped, Thatch quickly replied:

“If I didn’t act immediately, I knew that it would probably get worse given the danger of the fire in the car and the traffic, so it was at that time I decided to go through the algorithm in my head with the training I’m aware of to help this guy as much as I could.” 

Once the man was safe, the two began to talk. That’s when Thatch learned that he had just saved a fellow soldier.

“I remember he reached out to me and grabbed my hand and he was like I really need a brother right now,” said Thach. “I grabbed his hand and let him know that he would be okay fully understanding that it was a pretty rough day for him and letting him know that I was there for him.”

My hat is off to Ranger Thatch for doing the right thing. He is a man of honor and integrity. If someone I loved were ever in a rough spot like that, I’d want someone like Thatch to be there to help them out.

Cheers, brother.

RLTW

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