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able to get there in about 30 minutes." An area fire department had the bus stable in the river with rope when the 507th Medical Company arrived at the scene. The bus was filled with about two feet of water as the crew of four soldiers began work to hoist the bus occupants through an emergency exit. "The weather conditions made it a little tougher to get the people out of the bus, because it had rained all night and it was still very windy," said flight medic Sgt. Michael Thomas. "So, my main concern was to get everyone out of the bus before winds pushed the bus farther down stream or the bus filled with more water." The bus occupants - a 5-year-old girl, 7- and 11-year-old boys and a male driver - remained calm and cooperated with the MEDEVAC team, which helped expedite the mission, Thomas said. "A total team effort between us (507th Medical Company) and the local authorities who were on the scene when we arrived helped make the mission a complete success," Mitchell said.  "It took about 20 minutes to get everyone out of the bus onto safe ground," Mitchell said. "It was a great mission for the 507th. We coached each other and discussed what we needed to do to get everyone out safely" he said, adding that his co-pilot 1st Lt. Angie Presnell and crew chief Pfc. Brent Towne assisted Thomas. "It just re-emphasizes the result of proper training is a successful mission," Mitchell said. No serious injuries occurred in the accident, authorities said. The bus occupants were treated on the scene for minor cuts and scratches.
ARMY TO HONOR WORLD WAR II PARATROOPERS
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki will honor more than 100 surviving members of World War II's heroic 551st Parachute Infantry by presenting the unit with the Presidential Unit Citation Award in a ceremony to be held in the Pentagon's Auditorium, Room 5A1070 on February 23 at 2 p.m. The Army unit spearheaded the Allied Forces counterattack, in the 82nd Airborne Division's northern sector, in the Battle of the Bulge beginning on December 27, 1944. The unit endured its heaviest fighting on January 7, 1945. More than the 200 guests, including families of the veterans, and dignitaries plan to attend the cere

mony honoring the exceptional heroism of this unit that helped successfully turn the tide during one of the most decisive battles of World War II. On January 8, 1945, Adolf Hitler ordered the German Army's first pullback from the Battle of the Bulge. One of two independent U.S. parachute battalions deployed during World War II, the Army constituted the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion on October 30,1942, and then activated it in November in the Canal Zone. The unique unit is credited with participating in the first daylight combat drop in the European Theater in Nice, France, only two months after D-Day; the capture of several high ranking officers of the German Army at Draguig

2001 DUES DUE!

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