USAFA chose "wisely" when they offered this young lady an appointment

2020HD

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Just came across this today- what an amazing story of a cool, calm and collected young lady. I'm sure she is a great addition to the USAFA! Here's to her speedy recovery and return to the Academy.

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VIENNA, Va., Jan. 8 (UPI) -- A 19-year-old Virginia woman received a lifesaving award for lifting a pickup truck to free her father and rescuing the rest of her family from a fire.

Eric Heffelmire said he was working on his GMC pickup truck in the garage of his family's Vienna home Nov. 28 when his jack slipped and the truck fell, pinning him to the ground and spilling gasoline that quickly caught fire.

"I was on my back, face up, and I was trying to get some corroded brakes lines when apparently the jack slipped and fell down on me." Heffelmire told WUSA-TV. "Pinned me across right here on my shoulder." He said the fire set off a series of explosions. "We had a bunch of propane containers and they were cooking off -- just fireballs," Heffelmire told WRC-TV.

Heffelmire's daughter, Charlotte, 19, was home from the Air Force Academy for Thanksgiving break and came into the garage to investigate the noise. Charlotte Heffelmire -- who measures 5 feet and 6 inches tall, weighs in at 120 pounds and was barefoot at the time -- said even she has trouble believing what happened next.

"I lifted it [the truck] the first time, he said, 'OK, you almost got it,'" she said. "Finally managed to get it out, it was some crazy strength, pulled him out." The former pole vaulter's heroism didn't end with rescuing her father.

"I didn't want the entire house to explode with the truck, so I started the truck, put it in four-wheel drive and just mashed on it with three wheels and just drove out. It left a nice groove on the asphalt," she said. She then ran back into her house to evacuate her family, starting with her sister's baby.

"I just did what I had to do, so I don't feel like a big hero or anything," she said.

Charlotte Heffelmire was presented Thursday with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue's Citizen Lifesaving Award. Officials praised all off her actions but one -- after evacuating her family, she tried to put out the flames with a garden hose.

She said she is taking a break from the Air Force Academy to recover from a back injury and now burns to her hands and feet. She said public service is still in her future. "If I can't do any of the military branches, then probably just intelligence or government work," she said. "Right now I'm just healing up and making sure the family is OK."

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2016/01...-off-pinned-father-during-fire/1191452283209/
 
That does not lessen her bravery and quick thinking.

She says she still wants to serve in some capacity. Seems like a remarkable young lady.
 
I never said it did. I was simply replying to the comment about her return to USAFA.
 
That does not lessen her bravery and quick thinking.
Very true, awesome story.

She says she still wants to serve in some capacity. Seems like a remarkable young lady.
Just yesterday on another thread you said someone they didn't their have heart in it for simply considering potentially leaving a service academy, and straight up told them leave the service academy. Your response on this thread to someone leaving is a bit different to say the least :confused: I'm surprised your response wasn't something along the lines of "Glad she left, no one wants an officer whose heart isn't in it." Are there multiple people using your account?
 
Nope. All on a case by case basis. If she had no desire to stick it out at the Academy that doesn't lessen her actions here.
 
If she had no desire to stick it out at the Academy that doesn't lessen her actions here.
No doubt, her actions were heroic.


All on a case by case basis.
I don't really see what makes her case better than the other guys(the guy from the other thread). She left the academy before this even happened and "heart in it" referred to heart in to being an officer, not overall heart; based on her decision to go through with leaving a service academy how does that not make her have less of her heart in it than a guy who simply considered leaving a service academy, and hasn't even left? Because she did a great thing(a great thing that's not relevant to one's heart for being an officer. firefighters do great things but most of them don't possess a desire or a heart for being an officer)? Based on the information we know(or I know at least, not sure if you know more about these people) about these two people, I'm not seeing what makes this girl, who went through with leaving a service academy, have more of her heart into being a officer than the other guy, who has simply considered leaving a service academy. Am I missing something?

She says she still wants to serve in some capacity.
It's surprising to me that this wasn't followed by, "I hope she never becomes an officer because she clearly doesn't have her heart in it for leaving a service academy."
 
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Are you stalking me
If reading your posts from 2 threads qualifies as stalking you, then yes, I am stalking you.
Let it go. Don't you have homework to do?
It would be easier to let go if you didn't justify your opinions with your resume and justify putting down my opinions for my lack of a resume. Even in this post, you reference to the fact that I am still in high school even though that is completely irrelevant to the situation at hand. You seem to believe that the fact I am in high school invalidates every post I make and every opinion I state.

I will continue to point out the flawed logic in your posts just as, I'm guessing, you will continue to denigrate my posts for the simple fact that I'm in high school.

Back to homework.
 
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Folks, as Kinnem said, CHILL. Ya'll are totally stepping up to and over the line of acceptable conduct in the SA forums and we won't allow that. You don't want to be banned....

Steve
 
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