Veterans Aid During Tragedy

A Legionaire was working at the Route 91 fiasco 10/1 and helped evacuate the thousands of partyers including some who could no longer walk out on their own power.
Larry FOSGATE, Life Member, was working that venue as an usher. When the shooting started, he helped direct 100's out and cleared paths to make it easier for them to leave. As a trained EMT, he spent a bit of time tending the injured and working to get those who were unable to walk out of harm's way and to the safety on the other side of the wall that enclosed the venue.
With the help of a couple dozen men and a very few women, he fashioned litters from folding tables used by vendors. The banners that had draped the tables were used as covers for those deceased on the ground. Wheelbarrows, of which there were two, were used to move people without internal injuries, and made several trips. The litters were placed atop garbage carts when the patient was too heavy to carry the 200 yds. to the gate.
More who had stayed around after the shooting collected the injured on the street side and flagged down pickups leaving the venue parking area upon which to load those who could not sit in the seats. In all, a couple dozen were so transported out of the region.
Nobody collected names of those who helped, nor did anyone stop and ask the victim's names. They just did what had to be done immediately, and did it with professional skill given the lack of tools one would expect. I would venture that the vast majority of the couple dozen who assisted were indeed veterans, since they didn't flee on hearing gunfire, assessed the damage and did what they could to preserve life and safety immediately without hesitation.
As I had seen in other tragedies, in my career at sea, when the chips are down, and you will live or die by virtue of what you can make of the situation and correct what you can; those who have the training and confidence are the ones who save the day. Often they are not the ones one would expect to see in that role, nor do they tend to beat their collective chests afterwards, but peacefully go about their business the next day, and remain ready for the next calamity to strike, all the time vigilant that the way to avert such problems is through training, safety, and vigilance.
Larry FOSGATE, USN-Ret.
Life Member
Las Vegas, NV

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