{"id":429050,"date":"2025-04-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=429050"},"modified":"2025-04-28T21:59:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T21:59:42","slug":"kentucky-national-guard-soldier-commended-for-heroic-rescue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=429050","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky National Guard Soldier Commended for Heroic Rescue"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>

\n 1 \/ 2<\/span>
\n
\n Show Caption +<\/span>
\n Hide Caption \u2013<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n
\n Col. Steven Engels, 75th Troop Command, pins Spc. Brandon Pollard with an Army Commendation Medal following his heroic actions following an accident in Shelby County, March 15, 2025. Pollard helped a driver from her overturned vehicle following a weather-related crash.
\n (Photo Credit: U.S. Army National Guard courtesy asset)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"Col.
\n <\/a>
\n
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n 2 \/ 2<\/span>
\n
\n Show Caption +<\/span>
\n Hide Caption \u2013<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n
\n Col. Steven Engels and Command Sgt. Maj. Benzie Timberlake, 75th Troop Command, with Spc. Brandon Pollard, following his heroic actions following an accident in Shelby County, March 15, 2025. Pollard helped a driver from her overturned vehicle following a weather-related crash.
\n (Photo Credit: U.S. Army National Guard courtesy asset)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

LOUISVILLE, Ky. \u2013 A routine trip home took a dramatic turn for a Kentucky National Guard Soldier on March 15.<\/p>\n

U.S. Army Spc. Brandon Pollard was headed to his Lexington home after a drill at the Bowman Field Readiness Center in Louisville when he came across an overturned vehicle on I-64 near Simpsonville in Shelby County. The accident happened during heavy rainfall and storms.<\/p>\n

Pollard found the vehicle off the roadway in a trench with the driver trapped inside. He pried open the door, removed the airbag and, along with another bystander, helped the victim from the wreckage.<\/p>\n

Pollard said his only focus was providing help.<\/p>\n

\u201cI honestly didn\u2019t even think about anything. I just literally thought about helping and getting to her,\u201d Pollard said. \u201cThat was the only thing that was on my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Benzie Timberlake praised Pollard for his actions and courage that day and said it demonstrates the degree of dedication of Kentucky Guardsmen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdversity does not build character, it reveals it,\u201d Timberlake said. \u201cSpc. Pollard\u2019s actions show what Soldiers can do when placed in difficult situations. He showcased unparallelled courage, resilience and selflessness that truly highlights our Kentucky National Guard\u2019s extraordinary capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of his actions, Pollard was awarded an Army Challenge Coin and a Brigade Commander\/Command Sergeant Major Coin.<\/p>\n

U.S. Army Col. Steven Engels, commander of the 75th Troop Command, said Pollard\u2019s swift and selfless response in a moment of crisis demonstrated courage and unwavering commitment to community service.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decisive action not only saved a life but also reflected Spc. Pollard\u2019s unwavering commitment to service and community safety as well as exceptional character,\u201d Engels said.<\/p>\n

Pollard belongs to the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade but is currently attached to the 75th Troop Command.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.nationalguard.mil<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/x.com\/USNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Col. Steven Engels, 75th Troop Command, pins Spc. Brandon Pollard with an Army Commendation Medal following his heroic actions following an accident in Shelby County, March 15, 2025. Pollard helped a driver from her overturned vehicle following a weather-related crash. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army National Guard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429052,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-429050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=429050"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":429055,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429050\/revisions\/429055"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/429052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=429050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=429050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=429050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}