On the morning of Aug. 20, 2020, Staff Sgt. Messersmith was driving to work northbound on Highway 63 just outside of Westphalia, Mo. Messersmith observed a vehicle travelling at high speed, swerving off the road, then crashing into a tree and catching fire.
Without concern for his own safety, the brave Missouri Army Guardsman parked his car and raced to the accident site on foot. He began one of several attempts to extract the initially unresponsive victim from the fiery wreck while trying to flag down other vehicles passing by to assist him. No one else stopped.
Messersmith’s steely determination, cool head, and quick action paid off, eventually extracting the now-conscious victim from the burning vehicle. The Vienna, Mo., native would drag the wounded driver up an embankment and to a safe distance from the flaming wreck until the Westphalia volunteer fire department arrived and began extinguishing the flames. Both the victim and Messersmith would live to tell their story.
It wasn’t until just after the incident that the Army non-commissioned officer realized he’d been wounded. During the minutes-long ordeal, Messersmith had become slightly injured when the vehicles’ tires began exploding from the intense heat, peppering the Sergeant’s face with bits of debris.
When asked why he stopped at the scene of the crash that day Messersmith said, “It has to do with why I enlisted in the first place: I just wanted to help others, and the Army National Guard provided me with an opportunity to do that.”
Messersmith joined the Missouri Army National Guard on Oct. 29, 2009, at the age of 17.
“I was nine years old when 9/11 happened. That moment is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to join. I always had an interest in joining the Army, but 9/11 was what motivated me the most. I continue to serve in the Army National Guard, because through the Guard, I can help my community here in Missouri as well as communities overseas who need help too.”
Staff Sergeant Messersmith is assigned…
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