Turner claimed that as Radford attempted to reload his handgun, he seized the barrel and held it pointed at the ground until other soldiers could assist in subduing Radford.
A slim California native, Turner, 32, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday, “We wanted to make sure we locked everything down, securing it.” Then, without warning, he ended himself passing through.
On Thursday, Turner was one of six soldiers who received the Meritorious Service Medal in recognition of their valiant response to the incident. The soldiers said several helped detain Radford while others gave the injured life-saving medical attention.
As the six soldiers stood close to him on Thursday, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told reporters, “One of the things I can say unequivocally is that the quick action of these soldiers under stress and trauma and under fire absolutely saved lives from being lost.” They embody all the positive aspects of this country.
Thanks to AP
Thanks to AP
The military reported that three of the five wounded soldiers were discharged from hospitals on Wednesday. On Thursday, one was still receiving treatment in Savannah’s Memorial Health University Medical Center, while the other was still at Winn Army Community Hospital.
Radford, 28, serves as an automated logistics sergeant with the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division. According to public records, he was put into the Hinesville, Tennessee, Liberty County Jail. However, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division said he will probably be moved to a military jail center.
Eddie Radford, a Jacksonville, Florida, father of Radford, told The New York Times that his son had been looking for a transfer and had complained to his family about racism at Fort Stewart in Georgia, where he had served for a number of years. He further mentioned that on Wednesday morning, his Black son texted his aunt to tell her that he loved everyone and that he would be in a better place because he was going to do something.
In addition, Radford told the newspaper that his son had no history of severe mental illness, but he did occasionally struggle with despair related to his mother’s death when he was a little boy.
Credit: AJC/HYOSUB SHIN
Credit: AJC/HYOSUB SHIN
The military claims that Radford used a personal firearm during the shootings. Driscoll responded, “We absolutely will want to learn from this investigation,” when asked Thursday about the screening process for such weapons at military stations’ entrances. We do not want another incident on an Army base like this to occur. We will take the necessary actions to increase safety if there are any.
With 279,270 acres, the base, officially known as Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, is the biggest Army installation east of the Mississippi River. According to the U.S. Army, it employs over 25,500 people, houses the 3rd Infantry Division, and generates $4.9 billion in economic effect for coastal Georgia.
For their conduct on Wednesday, the soldiers listed below were awarded Meritorious Service Medals in addition to Turner: Master Sgt. Justin Thomas of Kingwood, Texas; Staff Sgt. Robert Pacheco of Amsterdam, New York; Staff Sgt. Melissa Taylor of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. Eve Rodarte of El Centro, California; and 1st Sgt. Joshua Arnold of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Taylor told the AJC that she heard a coworker yell about gunshots in their building on Wednesday morning as she was at her office checking her email.
Taylor saw a glimpse of smoke and a fellow soldier on the ground as she peered down the hallway. She found her wounded friend had been shot in the chest and ran toward him. She ripped off his T-shirt and uniform shirt and pressed to stem the bleeding. He was kept conscious by Taylor until an ambulance came.
Taylor, a former Army medic, claimed that her experience in emergency aid helped her focus and that she wasn’t afraid during the incident. Taylor spent four years working in an Army hospital emergency room during a prior military posting in Hawaii, where he gained experience in treating a variety of wounds.
I had nothing with me, including medical supplies. According to 39-year-old Taylor, I had my bare hands. Both arms were smeared with blood up to my elbows. In a circumstance like that, you had no time to pause and put on gloves.
Credit: AJC/HYOSUB SHIN
Credit: AJC/HYOSUB SHIN
One of the other troops honored, Arnold, claimed that after hearing gunshots, he started shouting to warn others. He assisted Taylor in caring for the injured soldiers.
According to Arnold, it was training that took over. You simply go to work.
Credit: AJC/HYOSUB SHIN
Credit: AJC/HYOSUB SHIN
The wounded soldiers have not been identified by officials. Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, stated Thursday that the soldier who is still at the Army’s Winn hospital at the base is doing extremely well and is in good spirits. We’re optimistic that she might be freed this weekend.
Doctors are really pleased with the soldier who was sent to the hospital in Savannah, Lubas continued, but I believe it will take her a little longer to recuperate.
The chief of trauma services and surgical critical care at the Savannah hospital, Dr. James Dunne, was a military emergency physician for 22 years. He was operating on soldiers on Wednesday, eleven years after leaving the Navy. He commended the soldiers and emergency personnel from the base who hurried to the area on Wednesday to offer assistance.
According to Dunne, the book on Triple C, or tactical combat casualty care, was written by the military. Pre-hospital military personnel are the best individuals you could ask to take care of you if you are shot.
This report was written by AJC staff writers Taylor Croft and Adam Van Brimmer.
