The Springfield Ambulance Corps was honored to participate in a procession escorting Army Specialist Russell “Rusty” Carter from the University of Pennsylvania Hospital to his home in Springfield. Carter, a resident of Orchard Road and member of the 101st Airborne Division, was injured when his Humvee experienced major mechanical problems and crashed over the side of an unprotected bridge. The accident left Army Specialist Carter paralyzed from his chest down.
Under the direction of Springfield Police Chief Joseph Daly, representatives from nearly every police department in Delaware County, the Springfield Fire Company, the Springfield Ambulance Corps, and members of the Warriors Watch joined in a procession that left the hospital at about noon, traveled through Springfield where hundreds of residents lined the streets with flags and signs to welcome home their hero, and arrived home to hundreds more welcoming Carter with thunderous applause and cheering.