Utah soldier helps rescue 3-year-old boy from well in Afghanistan

Utah soldier helps rescue 3-year-old boy from well in Afghanistan
By McKenzie Romero
Deseret News
Published: Tuesday, April 9 2013

Soldiers from both 3rd Tolai, 6th Kandak and 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment came to the aid and rescue of a 3-year-old boy who had fallen 30 feet down a well in Maiwand province April 7, 2013. Murray soldier Thomas Wirthlin was part of the rescue. (Capt. Jennifer Dyrcz, U.S. Army)

MURRAY — Families on two sides of the world have something to celebrate after a team of U.S. and Afghan soldiers, including a Utah man, came together to rescue a 3-year-old boy from a well in Maiwand province, Afghanistan.

Spc. Thomas Wirthlin, of Murray, and soldiers from Courage Company, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, were called to help their Afghan allies rescue the boy Sunday, and nothing was going to deter them.

It was like trying to dig through cement, but the soldiers were prepared to work for days, Wirthlin said in a military release.

"It was our pleasure to go out and help the locals face to face," he said. "It is great getting face time this way instead of just asking questions about the Taliban. We are all the same. We all have young nieces or nephews at home the same age as this kid, so it was great to help.”

Wirthlin told family members that nearly 30 U.S. soldiers and Afghan military members worked into the night Sunday, digging for more than six hours before lowering a rope to the frightened toddler, trapped about 30 feet down. The well is located in a dangerous province, requiring some soldiers to provide security while others performed the rescue, a relative reported.
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