An Iraq combat veteran who saved lives on the battlefield saved a life off the battlefield when he rescued a woman from a burning car that was about to explode.
North Carolina National Guard Staff Sgt. Cory Hinkle dove into action Monday after witnessing the head-on collision in Shelby, North Carolina, Fox News reported.
Hinkle, along with another man, rescued Brandy Guin after her car burst into flames and used his body to shield her as the car exploded.
“I’ve been in the military for 15 years,” Hinkle told the Shelby Star. “It’s instinct for me. I made the decision right then that if something came off the car, it’d have to go through me first.”
Hinkle suffered a minor injury after a piece of flying scrap metal struck his foot.
The veteran is no stranger to explosions. WSOC reports that Hinkle cleared roadside bombs during his tour of Iraq, and even witnessed a bomb go off near him.
Hinkle visited Guin, who suffered a broken ankle in the crash and could not stand, at the hospital and calls to check on her daily.
Guin told WBTV that she is truly grateful for Hinkle’s heroic actions that day.
“I will forever be indebted to him,” she told the station.
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