Brig. Gen. Andrew C. Hilmes, Director of Army Safety and Commanding General, US. Army Combat Readiness Center, presented the Army Safety Guardian Award to Spec. Frank Yaguas, April 27, 2021, at the National Training Center/Fort Irwin Headquarters.
In order to be nominated for the Army Safety Guardian Award, an individual must have, through extraordinary actions or skills, reacted to an emergency event or an imminently dangerous situation, thereby eliminating or minimizing loss, such as damage to Army property or injury to Army personnel; emergencies or dangerous situations resulting from enemy action may be included for consideration.
In late October 2020, then Pfc. Yaguas, an 11B Infantryman, assigned to Fury Troop, 2/11 Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, calmly maneuvered a humvee whose brake lines had unknowingly been severed while navigating over rocky, desert terrain. The vehicle rapidly descended down a hill with him and two other passengers inside.
Yaguas’ quick thinking and skilled maneuvering enabled him to steer the vehicle away from danger with minimal damage to the vehicle and minor injuries to himself and his two passengers. If not for Yaguas’ decisive actions and quick reactions, damage to the equipment and military personnel would have likely been more much severe if not fatal.