Sgt. Daniel Beltran, a bridge crew chief with the 809th Multi-Role Bridge Company, stands outside Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Oct. 4, 2024. The Houston native has been nominated for the Soldier's Medal for rescuing a German woman from the Danube River on Sept. 12, 2024. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — A U.S. soldier who braved frigid Danube River waters to rescue a woman in danger of drowning has been nominated by his command for the Army’s highest award for noncombat heroism.
Sgt. Daniel Beltran, 31, a bridge crew chief with Grafenwoehr’s 809th Multi-Role Bridge Company, earned the Soldier’s Medal nomination last month with his rescue in Ingolstadt, about 70 miles south of Tower Barracks, company commander Capt. Michael MacGovern said Friday.
A Marine veteran and a lifeguard with scuba and CPR certifications, Beltran and his fellow soldiers were at the Ingolstadt Pioneer School at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 12 to build a pontoon bridge across the river, MacGovern said.
The company was at the training facility for German army engineers to test new equipment. While Beltran was staging their trucks, a soldier called his name and the Houston native raced to the water’s edge.
“I noticed there was a person floating in the water,” Beltran said. “They were already face-down.”
He asked MacGovern if he could go in and the officer agreed. The water temperature was 55 degrees and moving about 5 feet per second, MacGovern said.
Beltran swam out about 20 feet in his uniform and boots until he reached the 79-year-old woman, according to police in Ingolstadt.
“I just used what I learned in lifeguarding,” he said. “I grabbed the individual and then performed a rescue swim back to shore, trying to keep their head above water.”
Sgt. Daniel Beltran, a bridge crew chief assigned to the 809th Multi-Role Bridge Company, gives directions from his M30 Bridge Erection Boat during a field exercise on the Danube River in Ingolstadt, Germany, on Sept. 25, 2024. Beltran was nominated that same month for the Soldier’s Medal after rescuing a woman from this stretch of river on Sept. 12. (Brian Lamar/U.S. Army)
Once on shore, a now-shivering Beltran passed the woman to Staff Sgt. Chad Kuderer, who began chest compressions. The woman had signs of hypothermia and a weak pulse and wasn’t breathing.
Beltran knelt down and began overseeing resuscitation efforts while Sgt. Kenneth Mcgray took over with the chest compressions.
After about a minute, the woman spit up water, Beltran said. They continued the compressions. About 30 seconds later, she spit up more water and gasped for air, and the soldiers placed her in the recovery position.
The woman was eventually transferred to the care of German emergency medical personnel. She survived the incident, but German police declined to provide more information about her condition, citing privacy laws.
After what MacGovern called the soldier’s “extraordinary actions,” Beltran changed clothes and went back to finish the bridge.
The Soldier’s Medal is awarded to service members from the U.S. or friendly foreign nations who distinguish themselves through noncombat heroism, which must include “clearly recognizable personal hazard” and “voluntary risk of life,” according to the Army website.
“I can’t really put into words how proud we are,” MacGovern said.
Stars and Stripes reporter Marcus Kloeckner contributed to this report.
