Local soldier honored for heroic response to Fort Stewart shooting

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The soldiers who subdued the army sergeant who opened fire at Fort Stewart were honored on Thursday. The Secretary of the Army visited the brave men and women, including a local hometown hero.

Six soldiers were honored after they subdued the army sergeant who opened fire at Fort Stewart in Georgia. Among them, a soldier from Amsterdam. 

The Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll awarded medals to Staff Sgt. Robert Pacheco and five others.

Pacheco is a combat medic. He joined the unit in February 2018. He was credited after he provided critical medical care to wounded soldiers and ensured stabilization and timely transport to advanced medical facilities. 

Driscoll said there were two main goals with the visit. First, to offer support to the victims and their families after the tragedy.

“The second was to recognize the heroism, the courage, and the selfless service of six soldiers who put themselves in harm's way yesterday to take care of their fellow soldiers,” said Driscoll.

He said the six soldiers exemplify the resilience of American soldiers.

“They were unarmed and ran at and tackled an armed person, who they knew was actively shooting their buddies, their colleagues, their fellow soldiers. Another soldier jumped on top of the person to subdue them until federal law enforcement was able to arrive. The other soldiers immediately, using their training that they had developed over years and years, started to take care of mass casualties,” said Driscoll.

New York Senator Patricia Fahy said she’s proud to represent Amsterdam in the 46th district.

“Many of us might freeze regardless of what training but it’s clear that he had the values, he had the courage, and he really has embedded that mantra that I think really bespeaks our military and that is, ‘Service before self’,” said Fahy.

Officials said of the five wounded, three were released on Wednesday. Driscoll said after visiting the victims and their families they talked with doctors. 

“And one of the things that I can say unequivocally is that the fast action of these soldiers, under stress, and under trauma, and under fire, absolutely saved lives from being lost,” said Driscoll.

“He is a hometown hero. He’s clearly a national hero now. And think of what he’s prevented. So I think it will just fuel the pride in Amsterdam, but it should fuel the pride in all of us,” said Fahy.

She called Pacheco a role model for taking care of his fellow soldiers, at his own risk.

“We need to understand the goodness that sometimes those tragic situations bring out. So, it’s important to find that goodness and remind people of that goodness and yes clearly there was a horrific incident. Gun violence is off the charts. We need to do more every day to address gun violence, and encourage gun safety. In the meantime we need to celebrate those who step up in these extraordinary circumstances,” said Fahy. 

Other soldiers honored included first Sgt. Joshua Arnold, Master Sgt. Justin Thomas, Staff Sgt. Melissa Taylor, Sgt. Aaron Turner and Sgt. Eve Rodarte.

“The trauma for them often doesn’t hit for weeks or months. It doesn’t come as quickly as you might think. And so what we’ve tried to encourage, for all of our soldiers, is to speak up, lean on each other, lean on your leadership, and we will provide the resources, the care, and the love that they need to recover,” said Driscoll.

Fahy said she will look for ways to honor Pacheco in Amsterdam.