A Litchfield man was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor among
other honors at the Governor’s Mansion on Oct. 28.
Major Chase Wilhelm’s superiors said he saved lives and “demonstrated selflessness and heroism” on Jan. 28 when his base in Jordan was hit by a drone attack. More than 100 soldiers were wounded, but some survived because of Wilhelm’s care, his base commander, Lt. Col. Enrique Monreal said.
Monreal said as he and Wilhelm arrived at the scene, he needed to “give nothing more but a glance” for his colleague to act.
“Upon witnessing the grave devastation and chaos, Chase, without hesitation, immediately took charge of the site, began the search and recovery efforts. (He) found the wounded that were trapped beneath the burning wreckage of what was their living quarters,” Monreal said.
Wilhelm gave first aid, including applying a tourniquet to a soldier whose arm was mangled in the attack. He repeatedly entered the flames and rubble to retrieve wounded soldiers and the bodies of three who died in the attack.
An Army chaplain, Wilhelm provided sacramental rights to the fallen soldiers and organized a transport detail for their remains. He also supported all staff and wounded soldiers that gathered at the collection point following the attack.
While Wilhem said he was honored by the accolades, he said they served as a symbol of the courage of the 340 soldiers who responded to the assault.
“Everyone thinks that they will be the person that runs into the burning building,” he said. “I think we all think that we would do that, but you don’t know until you have felt those flames. You don’t know until you’ve felt that heat and seen that chaos. And to be very, very, very clear, I was not alone. The 340 other people at that base did their jobs and ran into those flames as well.”
Gov. JB Pritzker and Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski were among those who honored Wilhem at the ceremony. Wilhelm gave Pritzker an Illinois flag he had flown at the base and gave Budzinski an American flag that he said flew during the attack and was transported with the bodies of the fallen soldiers.
Illinois Times wrote about Wilhelm in September 2022 and his efforts to assist Ukrainian refugees. He single-handedly drove 21 refugees to other European countries during the chaotic period immediately after the Russian invasion began Feb. 24, 2022. He later helped bring 18-year-old Ignat Striletskyi to Springfield and enroll at University of Illinois Springfield.
Related
A Ukrainian refugee at UIS
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This article appears in Best Of Springfield 2024.
