Soldier helps dementia patient wondering in middle of road

This photo, provided by the Army's 22nd Infantry Division to the local media, shows a senior woman with dementia walking in the middle of a highway. (The 22nd Infantry Division)

An army sergeant recently found a senior woman walking in the middle of a highway in the early morning hours and helped get her to safety, the Army said Saturday.

According to the 22nd Infantry Division, Sgt. Oh Jung-hwa was driving on a highway in Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, when he passed a woman in her 80s at around 1 a.m. on Dec. 7. There were no lights in the vicinity, and Oh stopped the car on the side of the road, concerned over her safety.

He helped the woman off the road, staying at her side until the police arrived. Oh departed from the scene after ensuring that the woman, who has dementia, was taken home.

Sgt. Oh said he could not look away because the woman reminded him of his own grandmother.

"I only did what I had to do. Not only as a soldier, but as a citizen," he was quoted as saying.