By David Miller
Ben Aronson and Trevor Hearing were friends, roommates, classmates and Air Force ROTC cadets at The University of Alabama when a routine carpool would make them heroes.
On Sept. 22, 2017, Aronson and Hearing were traveling down McFarland Boulevard when a man trying to cross the road on foot was struck by a pickup truck traveling roughly 45 miles per hour. The man was hurt badly, his hip knocked out of alignment.
Aronson and Hearing pulled over immediately and tended to the man.
“He left the ground, a few feet in the air, and hit the ground,” Aronson said. “We knew it wasn’t good.”
Hearing, a Tuscaloosa native who volunteered in DCH Regional Medical Center’s emergency room while in high school, calmed the man, stabilized him and ensured he had full feeling in his extremities. Aronson called 911 and calmed the man’s significant other, taking her away from the scene to keep both calm. Aronson also helped keep people in nearby shops and restaurants away from the scene.
“All I could think about was possible internal bleeding,” Hearing said, “trying to keep his heart rate low and keep his heart stable.”
Once police and paramedics arrived, both Aronson and Hearing provided witness statements and updates to the man’s condition. It would be the last time either would have contact with the man, but the experience would earn them the Air Force’s second highest honor for cadets, the Silver Valor Award.
Aronson and Hearing received the award during career day in March. Hearing also received the 2018 Outstanding Service Award from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.
“We had multiple officers at the detachment, a full-bird colonel and several captains and majors,” Aronson said. “We had this big ceremony, everyone at attention as they read off the awards. I’m very honored they thought we were deserving of it.”
Ready for the Moment
When Hearing saw the man’s injury, he said it was the worst he’d seen since the April 27, 2011, tornado.
Those 24 hours and the days that followed the storm were the most intense he’d experienced as a volunteer in DCH’s emergency room, where he held a first-responder’s license and worked in triage every summer while he was in high school.
“Everything moved so fast that day,” Hearing said. “The National Guard had trouble getting in because a lot of highways were boxed in by trees, so we were the front line. We found a guy that had a block of wood straight through his head and was walking through the streets, trying to get help. It looked like a war scene, but he lived, had facial reconstruction surgery and lives a normal life.”
Hearing’s triage experiences helped him make an immediate and proper response last September, the first time he’d been involved in an emergency medical situation since high school. For both Hearing and Aronson, the moment was a “real test” to apply the leadership and training they’ve received in ROTC.
“Before, it’s always been practice scenarios, no real situations,” Aronson said. “But it worked, because I didn’t hesitate or freeze up. I’m very thankful for it. A lot of people may have gone in with the intention to help and might not have been ready for it. I’m fortunate to have had three straight years of preparing for stuff like that.”
Different Paths, Same Career
Both Aronson and Hearing want to pilot drones in the Air Force, but those career ambitions nearly didn’t materialize for Hearing, who graduated in May and will begin drone pilot school in San Antonio in late September.
Hearing said he’s always had a helper’s spirit and initially wanted to be a doctor.
“Growing up, when you say, ‘I want to help people,’ they tell you to be a doctor or a cop,” he said. “None of that fit me.”
Hearing signed up for ROTC his sophomore year, “thinking it was a class, not a commissioning source.” His naiveté about ROTC and the military soon turned into a gift, as he relished being challenged both academically and physically.
Aronson, a Pittsburgh native, was destined to attend UA. His grandfather, Ernie Jonseof, played football for Paul “Bear” Bryant, and his mother and brother both attended UA. Aronson’s longtime interest in the military led to him joining Air Force ROTC during his freshman year at UA, where he eventually met and befriended Hearing.
Aronson will begin his senior year in the fall with the confidence to handle stressful and challenging situations.
“Whether it’s ROTC or not, in college you learn different life experiences,” Aronson said. “These kinds of things happen all the time, so when you get out of college, military or not, that’s a learning experience that will help you.”