SMSgt Paul Gallagher with son, Christopher Gallagher and TSgt Victor McHenry

The day was probably one of the nicest days of 2007 as Senior Master Sergeant Paul Gallagher, his son Christopher along with Tarentum native Technical Sergeant Victor “Vic” McHenry set out on the trails in undeveloped parts of Chartier’s Township, as they’ve done several times in the past.

The trio had biked through the maze of back-country trails that followed the high-tension power lines for over an hour, never leaving anyone behind. In fact, they had stopped at the crest of a hill, overlooking the scenery waiting for everyone to catch their breath. Paul had commented how perfect the day was as they all looked on at the countryside. Then, the group started down the hill. Not 40 feet from where they had stopped to enjoy the view, Paul had a crash course with fate; he had somehow lost control of his mountain bike on the descent and flipped over his handlebars. The accident had occurred so quickly that it didn’t even sink in at first. The helmet Paul had on had shattered into several pieces. Vic and Paul’s son came to his aid and realized he was much more injured than they initially realized.

Unconscious at first, Vic started first aid by ensuring Paul didn’t move for fear of a spinal cord injury while checking for any other obvious injuries. Vic initially called Paul’s wife to arrange for an ambulance, but he did not know exactly where they were. So then, Vic had to make one of the hardest decisions of his life, he had to leave Christopher, Paul’s son to take care of his dad while he went to go get help. To get back to the road, and find a place to stage help, Vic had to ride the maze of trails out approximately three miles. The balance between going as fast as possible versus being safe and not becoming a casualty himself raced through Vic’s mind. He finally came to the first house he saw to get a street address. The older gentleman who lived there did not hesitate to help.

In what seemed like forever to Vic, the Chartier and Houston Fire Departments arrived at the scene. Now, Vic had to guide them back to the accident site moving ever so slowly in several of the Fire Departments 4-wheel drives though the high brush on each side of the trails. An hour had elapsed by the time Vic finally got back to Paul.

While Vic was getting help, Christopher stayed with his injured father; he had to keep his Dad, who was still in immense pain. While waiting, Christopher comforted his dad and talked to his mother and then Vic from his cell phone. At one point, as Paul gained consciousness, they said several prayers together. At that point, help arrived!

The Fire Department was busy doing what they do best. Not knowing the extent of his injuries, the Fire Chief did not want to risk taking Paul back over the same 3 miles of rough terrain. Instead, the Chief called in Life Flight. As the helicopter was on its way, the fire department team expertly cleared a landing strip for the helicopter. Paul was then loaded and taken to Allegheny General Hospital. At the hospital, the full extents of Paul’s injuries were revealed, five broken ribs, collar bone broken in two places plus a concussion. Paul was released from the hospital four days later.

A month later, Vic was awarded an Achievement Medal for Merit by Maj Scott Shuttleworth, Commander of the 311th Recruiting Squadron. While his son, Christopher received a Letter of Appreciation from the squadron’s Top 3 and presented a coin by Maj Shuttleworth. A week later after that, Paul (with his new helmet – same bike) and Christopher road their mountain bikes to the Chartier Fire Department to say thank you. The firefighters told Christopher he had a maturity level that was well beyond his 12 years. Paul said he plans to ride again, but never without his Wingman.

Both SMSgt Paul Gallagher and TSgt Victor McHenry are assigned the 311th Recruiting Squadron at Canonsburg, PA.