SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – It’s a place with streets named after well-known battles like Yorktown, military groups like the Minuteman, and what many in this neighborhood are - a patriot.
“We’re a part of a military branch. We’re trained in certain aspects. When something happens in the community, we’re going to react,” Gilbert Gonzalez said.
“All of us are trained on board ships. Fire happens, we run to it,” Josh Minster said. “Just start helping out any way we can. It’s what we do. It’s what we do in the military.”
Gonzalez and Minster both are in the U.S. Navy and live incredibly close to where Thursday’s deadly plane crash happened in Murphy Canyon.
ABC 10News reported on their heroic efforts to run into danger to help their neighbors.
For Gonzalez,it was getting neighbors to safety.
“It’s the more repetitive training that we have that kind of just kicks into gear, and you start focusing on what needs to get done,” Gonzalez said. “And the second that you start to hear people crying out for help or, you know, in the mass confusion you’re just focused on one thing and to make sure people are getting out safe.”
For Minster,it was rushing in to put out fires from the crash.
“That’s what we were up there trying to take care of and maintain to keep it from spreading, you know? And, meanwhile, knocking on doors telling people to get out, start evacuating.”
First responders heard about beyond-neighborly acts by the trained people who lived here, and called it a little bit of a miracle.
“I think any sort of that background that you have behind you, right, to help you stay calm in a stressful situation just like the military, just like San Diego PD or any other public safety that’s out there, I think it helped,” Assistant Chief Dan Eddy of San Diego Fire-Rescue, said. “And so, as we came into this neighborhood, you could see that. You could see the love for one another in this neighborhood.”
They are heroes to some, even though they may not call themselves one.
“We don’t seek recognition. We just seek to take care of each other and make sure that we’re all safe,” Minster said.
“I wouldn’t call ourselves heroes. But we just reacted the day, that morning of,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez also gives credit to military spouses like his wife for being prepared to act and get everyone to safety as well during the situation.
