FORT CAMPBELL, KY – On Aug. 10, 2019, Staff Sgt. Ian Tyrrel arrived at his first duty station, Fort Campbell, after graduating from the Special Forces Selection and Assessment Course. During one of his free weekends, he decided to take a relaxing kayaking trip at Port Royal State Park with a friend. Little did he know that his kayak trip would end with him saving a person’s life.
Two years later, on July 14, Tyrrel, a Special Forces medical sergeant of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, was awarded the Soldier’s Medal, by Maj. Gen. John W. Brennan, commanding general, 1st Special Forces Command, during a ceremony at the Deeks Language Lab.
“One of the great things we get to do, is recognize bravery,” Brennan said during his remarks. “It’s common to recognize our soldiers in a combat zone, but what Staff Sgt. Tyrrel did is not common.”
The rescue
During the day Tyrrel was on the Red River, he and his friend noticed a commotion in the water and looked to see a woman drowning.
Tyrrel and his friend dove into the river, pulled her ashore, and quickly assessed her injuries. As Tyrrel utilized the medical training he previously learned from the SFSA course, he determined the woman had broken her leg while she was pulled under the water by the current.
“When the first responder came down, he didn’t have any of the equipment that he needed,” Tyrrel said. “The only thing I could find to make an improvised splint was the oar.” Tyrrel took his kayak paddle, snapped it in half, and fashioned a splint for her leg.
Due to the remote location of the river where they encountered the woman, emergency medical services could not easily reach them or provide evacuation. Tyrrel stayed with the woman and continued to provide care until she could be loaded onto a life raft. Tyrell then aided in transporting her through the rapids to an evacuation point.
“He didn’t think about it; his training kicked in, and he did what comes naturally,” Brennan said, “He’s also very humble about what he did and is very taken aback by all the doings with the Soldier’s Medal, but he deserves it.”
“The lady needed help; I helped her,” Tyrrel said. “Anybody else would have done the same thing.”
The Soldier’s Medal
Established in 1926, the Soldier’s Medal is awarded to any person in the U.S. armed forces who distinguish themselves by valor, courage and heroism by taking action in the face of adversity not involving conflict with an enemy while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Army. It was designed to recognize acts of valor during peacetime.
“He put himself at great personal risk to save a fellow human being who could’ve possibly died,” Brennan said. “I cannot be more proud of him; he represents the Special Forces Regiment and the U.S. Army with extreme selflessness and honor.”