Dyess fire captain honored with heroism award

Dyess Air Force Base Fire Captain Lawson “Gus” Stuart, right, was accompanied by his son, Andrew Stuart, when Gus received the Robert P. Connelly Award and Medal of Heroism from the Abilene Kiwanis Club.  (Photo By Andrew Carlson Abilene Kiwanis Club)

The Abilene Kiwanis Club presented Fire Capt. Lawson “Gus” Stuart with the Robert P. Connelly Award and Medal of Heroism on June 17, recognizing the Dyess Air Force Base firefighter and paramedic for a rescue that saved a construction worker’s life.

Kiwanis member Billy Sides presented the award, which Kiwanis International established in 1967. The award was created in memory of Robert Connelly, a Kiwanis Club of Lisle, Illinois, member who died in 1966 while trying to pull a woman off train tracks during a club fundraising event. The award has since honored hundreds of people for acts of bravery, heroism and sacrifice.

The Abilene club also announced a $500 donation to a nonprofit of Stuart’s choice.

Stuart, a civilian federal firefighter and paramedic assigned to Dyess Fire & Emergency Services, was nominated for the award by Dyess Assistant Fire Chief Michael Fritz, who detailed the rescue in a letter to the Kiwanis Heroism Awards Committee.

According to Fritz’s nomination letter, on Feb. 10, 2025, Stuart responded to what was initially reported as a medical emergency at the south end of the active runway at Dyess Air Force Base. When he arrived, he found a civilian construction worker trapped roughly 30 feet underground in a trench, crushed against a metal wall by a large industrial pipe.

The worker’s chest was severely compressed and his breathing had become shallow and labored, Fritz wrote. The trench itself was unstable and at risk of collapse.

Without waiting for full protective rescue equipment, Stuart entered the trench to reach the worker, according to the nomination letter. Once inside, he coordinated with crew members above to stabilize the pipe and directed its controlled lifting to relieve the pressure crushing the worker’s chest.

“The moment the pressure was relieved, the victim drew a large breath, confirming that Captain Stuart’s actions had saved his life,” Fritz wrote.

Stuart then directed and assisted in extracting the worker from the trench, the letter states. The man was taken to a trauma center, where he was treated for multiple broken ribs and a collapsed lung. He survived.

In brief remarks to the Kiwanis Club, Stuart turned attention away from himself and toward the responders who arrived to help. He recalled being alone for a few critical minutes after a vehicle had to be repositioned — what he described as a simple miscommunication rather than anything more — before more responders reached the scene.

“And then the next thing you knew there were seven of us, all the way up to our waist,” Stuart told the club. “It was absolutely a team effort.”

Fritz, in his nomination letter, wrote that Stuart’s actions reflect the highest ideals of the fire service.

“He acted without hesitation, placed the life of another above his own safety, and demonstrated extraordinary courage and compassion in the face of grave danger,” Fritz wrote. “His actions reflect the highest ideals of service to others and bring great credit to the fire service and the community he serves.”