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NEWS | Jan. 13, 2021

Army Reserve Soldier plays pivotal role in finding missing child

By Maj. Melodie Tafao 9th Mission Support Command

After more than a five-hour long search, an extreme sense of relief and excitement overcame Sgt. Cody Robinett after finding a missing child on the rooftop of her home in Guam.

Robinett, the senior movement noncommissioned officer assigned to the 3303rd Mobilization Support Battalion, 3rd Mobilization Support Group, 9th Mission Support Command, described the events of the evening.

“A message was sent out over a WhatsApp group chat,” said Robinett. “Her last known location was near my area, Yigo.”

In addition to his military skill set as a transportation management coordinator and civilian job as a supply technician for the 734th Air Mobility Squadron on Andersen Air Force Base, Robinett maintains his National Registry Emergency Medical Technician License. He is also a licensed amateur radio operator.

“I was able to use our club’s local repeater system to reach out to authorities for the girl’s last known location and directions to that location,” Robinett said. “A neighbor of mine and I took it upon ourselves to look for the girl after the message was sent out. We met with local authorities conducting the search on site and volunteered to help.”

Robinett was asked to re-scan the area around the child’s home that had previously been searched earlier that afternoon.

“We were near the back side of the house and just happened to shine a light on the roof at the same time she had poked her head up,” Robinett explained. “We were unclear if it was her; however, there was a kid on the roof, so we investigated and verified it was her.”

“I could tell she was scared when we found her,” he said. “She appeared to be in good health, and I was only able to conduct an initial assessment before we got her off the roof. She was turned over to the local fire department for a full evaluation.”

Maj. Howard B. Santiago Jr., Officer-In-Charge of the section in which Robinett is assigned, was not surprised of Robinett’s actions.

“Sgt. Robinett is responsible, dedicated, and loyal,” said Santiago. “Selfless service is not something that just stops when you take off the military uniform, and Sgt. Robinett is a true testament to that.”

The 9th MSC, headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the most ethnically diverse, geographically dispersed command in the U.S. Army Reserve, crossing seven time zones, two U.S. states, two U.S. territories, a commonwealth and two foreign countries. Soldiers of the command speak 29 languages.

What could have been a devastating evening turned into thanksgiving and gratitude.

“I’m thankful for Guam Fire and Police Departments for their efforts as well as the rest of the Yigo community,” said Robinett. “In a time of need, many came together and offered their support, and that is what makes this island so great.”