ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. - Senior Airman Joey DeFore helped rescue six children from an overturned school bus Aug. 15 after it slid into a ditch and rolled onto its side in Warner Robins, Ga.
"It was chaotic," said DeFore, a 116th Air Control Wing member. "The children were screaming and crying as they hung from their seats."
Defore, who has two children of his own, said, "I just stopped [at the scene]... my first thought was about the kids."
DeFore credits his military training as the reason he was able to remain calm while he unbuckled the children from their seats.
After he led the children to an emergency exit, two bystanders retrieved the children from the bus and moved them to safety.
"Airman Defore displayed the essence of a Citizen-Airman." said Chief Master Sgt. Emory, 128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron superintendent." His surname was omitted due to operational security. "We are Airmen dedicated to defending our nation with a deep-rooted responsibility to protect our citizens because they are dear to us."
Defore is a Georgia native and a graduate of Northside High School in Warner Robins. He was recently selected for a civil service position within the 116th Air Control Wing."