DoDDS teacher thanks her 'snow angels'

  • Published
  • By Rhonda L. Jackson
  • DoDDS Pacific
Saturday night, Feb. 16, my friend and I headed home after dinner at the Spaghetti Restaurant in Towada. The food was great and no alcohol was consumed, tea is my poison. At 9 p.m. in 20 degree weather, traveling slightly over 25 kilometers per hour on a narrow ice-slicked road, my black RAV-4 hit the skids. I careened into a snow-covered rice field, narrowly escaping a head-on collision with three ominous cement power poles. I gunned the engine a couple of times and attempted to force my steering wheel to turn in any direction. Nothing happened. I was stuck. I've lived in Misawa 12 years accident and skid free. But this night on a long dark road, my perfect driving record on all-season tires was tarnished.

Stepping out of the car into knee-deep hard packed snow brought to mind that famous line uttered to engineers at Johnson's Space Center long ago, "Houston, we've got a problem." Prayers were uttered as cars drove gingerly past hoping to not to end up in my position. Eventually, many kind and gracious Japanese citizens stopped to render aid. Try as they might, they were unable to dislodge my car from that field. At one point during the ordeal, several 'Y' license plates passed desiring to help, but without shovels in their cars to dig me out, they empathized with me and carefully drove away. The road turned dark again in both directions for what seemed to be hours. Without snow boots, coat (I wore a down-filled vest), gloves or a hat, I stood beside the road contemplating hoofing it home. I'm so thankful my 'snow angels' showed up, just in the nick of time.

Out of nowhere came a set of headlights. They adorned a burgundy monster Toyota Surf with two young gentlemen inside. The Airmen disembarked looking warm, toasty and confident. One wore a military Eskimo jacket with white fur around the hood and reflective stripes strategically placed on the front and back. He was tall and gangly while his partner wore a black, red and gold striped knit skully on his head, jeans and a black knit sweater. He was tall and muscular. I asked the men of they could help me and they immediately retorted, "we can pull you out of there ma'am." They deftly hooked a yellow-cable-like device to the back of my car. The gentleman in the Eskimo jacket stopped traffic while his partner got in the truck and worked his magic. After two jerks, my little RAV-4 was back on the road. I jumped out of the car to shake their hands and thank them from the bottom of my heart for their kindness. I pressed a few bills in the palm of the gentleman wearing the sweater. Before I could get back in my car he was standing in front of me, returning the money. He said, "No ma'am, keep it. We didn't mind doing this for you. It was nothing. You take care now." And they drove away. No name, no number, no way for me to truly show them my profound gratitude for their unselfish service.

Thus this article. We are constantly bombarded with negative reports about members of our Armed Forces. However, the good they do on a daily basis goes unnoticed and unrewarded. I'd like the commanders of this great base to know they work with angels unaware. I'm grateful, thankful, and proud to serve on Misawa Air Base. If you see my guardian angels or know who they are, please ask them to contact me at one of the schools. I'd like to buy them dinner - in the spring.