Recently, in the state of Washington, USA, an elderly woman in her late 70s accidentally injured her ankle while hiking alone to pay respect to her mother, and her injury was severe. However, she was fortunate to encounter a “special hero” who helped her out of the predicament.
Ursula Bannister, 79, from Tacoma, Washington, had laid her mother’s ashes to rest in the High Rock Lookout area near Ashford, Washington, more than 20 years ago. Every year, she would trek to this place to honor her mother. This year, she chose August 28th for her visit.
“I am very familiar with the area’s trails, as it is frequently visited by hikers,” Bannister told the U.S. Army. “When I couldn’t find anyone to accompany me, I decided to go alone.”
On that morning, Bannister successfully reached the mountaintop, placed flowers for her mother, and completed the memorial ritual. After having lunch at the lookout tower, she began descending the steep mountain trail. Unfortunately, not far along the path, she accidentally stepped into a hole, causing severe pain in her leg, prompting her to cry out for help instinctively.
Realizing she had a severe ankle fracture and was unable to descend on her own, Bannister’s only hope was for someone to hear her cries for help.
Fortunately, a few young hikers nearby heard her calls and rushed to her aid, immediately calling for help. One of these hikers happened to be Troy May, a specialist in aircraft maintenance from the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron of the U.S. Air Force.
“My first thought was that if I could carry her down, then I should do so without hesitation and get her down the mountain as quickly as possible,” May said.
Without hesitation, May gently carried Bannister on his back and began the cautious descent. However, the steep downhill stretch was a long 1.6 miles.
As the saying goes, going up is easy, coming down is hard. Additionally, May was wearing cowboy boots that day, not suitable for such strenuous work, leading to frequent stops and slow progress to prevent discomfort for Bannister with each careful step.
According to reports, the Air Force soldier carried the injured Bannister for most of the journey, with his friend Layton Allen also assisting briefly.
“She truly endured a lot along the way. I repeated to her that we were just a few steps away from reaching the bottom of the mountain,” May said.
Upon finally reaching the foothills, the group swiftly placed the elderly woman in her car, elevated her injured foot to reduce swelling as much as possible, and then drove her for medical attention. After thirty minutes, they encountered the search and rescue team who provided initial treatment by applying ice to Bannister’s foot before rushing together to a nearby hospital, where her family awaited.
A few days later, May and Allen received a grateful call from Bannister, expressing heartfelt thanks for their actions. She expressed deep appreciation, referring to them as her angels who seemingly appeared to save her in her time of need.
On September 9th, May was awarded an achievement medal by the U.S. Air Force. Colonel Joshua Clifford, commander of the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, commended May, praising the young soldier for embodying the core value of “service above self” of the U.S. Air Force through his actions.
During an interview with NBC Boston, May humbly stated that what he did could have been done by many others, attributing his presence in the right place at the right time that day.