Sergent Mary was born in Nigeria and immigrated to Germany as a child. She left for the US in 2016 and joined the Army the following year.
Mary came to limelight after a brave encounter she had with a soldier who was involved in an accident that made her win an award as the United Services Organization (USO)’s Solider of the Year 2020.
Mary was unaware that the person she was rescuing was from her unit, the 523rd Engineer Support Company at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
The news of the award and the accident was shared by one Hiram Figueroa on LinkedIn.
Figueroa wrote:
“In June 2020, Ehiarinmwian witnessed a vehicle flip over in front of her and land on its roof. Unknown to her at the time, the driver was another soldier from her unit, the 523rd Engineer Support Company at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
“Ehiarinmwian immediately pulled over and approached the smoking vehicle. She freed the driver and pulled him to safety, where she kept him stable until EMS arrived. The driver survived with minor injuries.
“While Ehiarinmwian viewed her actions as something that any soldier would have done, her leadership believed she deserved recognition. Several months later, Ehiarinmwian received a call from the Sergeant Major of the Army informing her she was selected as the USO’s Soldier of the Year 2020.”
Sgt. Mary Ehiarinmwian was actually on her way to physical training (PT) when she witnessed the accident.
