FORT CARSON, Colo.—Sgt. Daryl Williams is brave, has a keen eye for detail, and doesn’t leave things until the last minute.
The Long Island, Va., native is recuperating at the post from wounds suffered in Iraq. But before he was medivaced, Williams took the time to re-enlist, the Fort Carson Mountaineer reported.
The Army credits him with alerting his squad to the nearby presence of two improvised explosive devices. Both were detonated on July 8 without injury to his men.
But Williams was hit by shrapnel from an anti-personnel mine 30 feet away when he left his vehicle to provide cover for other troops. He suffered injuries to both arms, one leg, his face and neck.
“He’s very dedicated; his troops come first. Before he got hit, he told his solder (Pfc. Raymond Riley) to get back in the vehicle. He probably saved his life,” said Sgt. Samuel Hyer, who serves with him in a Scout-Sniper platoon.
And the reaction of his comrades was just as swift. Before medics could reach him a Quick Reaction Force had picked him up and was headed to an Army hospital in Baghdad. Some Army units are configured as Quick Reaction Forces, including helicopters in some cases, designed to react within 15 minutes to attacks and other incidents.
The first thing Williams did when he woke up in a hospital bed the next day was to say he wanted to re-enlist.
Williams was on his third Iraq tour. He is with the Scout/Sniper Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
