Iowa teen honored for saving neighbor's life

Published: 2006-08-30

DAVENPORT, Iowa (CNS) -- Travis McAtee is grateful for the lifesaving award he received Aug. 11, but he'd give it up to take back what happened to the man he saved. The 16-year-old from Olin received the Governor's Meritorious Service Award at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines for helping save neighbor Bill Milder of St. Mary Parish in Mechanicsville after a farm accident. "I'm happy that I'm getting it, but I'd rather not have had to go through that," McAtee said in an interview with The Catholic Messenger, Davenport's diocesan newspaper, before the fair. The accident happened just over a year ago. On Aug. 2, 2005, McAtee was helping Milder, now 61, set up a fence so Milder could have more pasture for his cattle. When Milder was using his tractor to pull brush to clear a path for the fence, the tractor caught a steep ridge and rolled four times. Milder let go of the steering wheel and fell into a ravine -- and then the three-ton machine went over him. "I heard him scream," said McAtee, who ran to the ravine. "He said he was in a lot of pain and needed an ambulance." McAtee tried to drive for help in a truck, but got stuck on a steep hill. So he did all there was left to do: run.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .