Ex-Buffalo Earns Soldier’s Medal

LTC Gerald Timoney was a Platoon Leader for C 3/17 and later C 3-17 S-3 AIR in the late 80's


Brig. Gen. Bernardo Negrete, deputy commanding general for Accessions Command, pins the U.S. Army Soldiers Medal on Lt. Col. Gerald P. Timoney, Jr.

Drama … danger … heroism … Lt. Col. Gerald P. Timoney, Jr.’ story has it all. And it has a great ending that doesn’t even ruin the plot if told up front. Timoney now wears the U.S. Army Soldier’s Medal among the many ribbons and decorations on his class “A” uniform. Brig. Gen. Bernardo Negrete, deputy commanding general for Accessions Command here, presented the medal to Timoney, now an USAAC operations officer. “It all seems kind of surreal these days,” Timoney said as he began to recount the events that unfolded during a late-October lunch hour last year. He and a friend – a former Army officer – were looking for a place to eat at a San Antonio shopping area called the Alamo Quarry Market. “We saw this vehicle in the parking lot with a bunch of white smoke coming out of the back,” Timoney said. “At first we dismissed it as some sort of Halloween prank … maybe this guy was selling pumpkins or something. But then we noticed the vehicle had actually run into the concrete base of a light pole and the back tires were still spinning on the pavement.” The uncontrollable spasms of an epileptic seizure had rendered the driver unconscious with his foot still gunning the gas pedal. A passerby blurted out, “There’s a man trapped in that car,” and Timoney and his friend sprung into action. “I guess the Army training kicked in … we didn’t even think about it, we just headed for the vehicle to see if we could get the driver out before it caught on fire.” Timoney recalled some sage advice he had received earlier in his career when he was a company commander at Fort Jackson, S.C. The battalion commander had a saying, “Scan, Focus, Act,” that motivated young officers to make smart decisions quickly. That discipline – Timoney said he now realizes – motivated him to do the right thing even though it could have proved deadly if the vehicle’s fuel tank exploded. “The back wheels had caught fire by the time we got there,” Timoney said. “The guy who flagged us down had a tire iron, so I grabbed that and smashed the driver’s side window.” A jammed lock kept the driver’s side door from opening and the rescuers could not release the seat belt allowing extraction through the window. “I ran around to the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The flames were coming up the sides by then, and we could feel the heat scorching our skin,” the lieutenant colonel said with a slight brush of the arm, probably spurred on by the subconscious memory of singed hair.

Smashing the passenger window, Timoney was finally able to gain access into the vehicle and shut off the engine. An offduty police officer entered the scene and assisted by cutting the seatbelt as Timoney supported the driver. The rescuers pulled the victim free of the vehicle. In an Oct. 27 letter, Officer Robert A. Ingram of the San Antonio Police Department wrote: “It is Lt. Col. Timoney’s selfless act that compels me to write to you today. As a police officer, it is this type of citizen that makes my efforts to protect the public possible. “This was a truly collaborative effort that ultimately saved a man’s life,” the letter continued. “As a veteran and current reservist, it makes me proud to serve alongside other military members such as Lt. Col. Timoney.”

“Hero is a big word, and I’m not sure what I did merits that title,” Timoney said, with a bit of a sigh. “You have firemen and policemen out there who do this sort of thing every day. And what about the rescue crews during 9-11? Those are the guys who deserve the title of hero, in my opinion.”

Lightfighter Shook's note: Did you know two other Buffalo that I know of earned the Soldier's Medal for heroism? Jon David Ray and Douglas Bell both served with the 4-17 Scouts and both were awarded the Soldiers Medal (Jon Ray while serving with the 4th Battalion for saving a drowning child down in Marina)