McChord Reservists selflessly spring into action

Airmen provided immediate first aid to fallen man

By Melissa Renahan on June 15, 2012

One Lakewood man is lucky that that the 446th Airlift Wing just had its Reserve weekend.

On Saturday, after finishing up their work on McChord Field, Senior Airman Andrew Moser and Airman Micah Myers, aerial transportation specialists from the 36th Aerial Port Squadron, were driving along Bridgeport Way in Lakewood when they saw a man walking on the sidewalk collapse.

"He was just walking along and then he sort of seized up, got a blank look in his eyes and fell to the ground," explained Myers, a Gig Harbor native. "Moser told me to pull over and we both got out see what we could do."

The two Airmen, who were both still in uniform at the time, checked the man's pulse, made sure his airway was clear, checked to see if his pupils were dilated, and, finally, stabilized his head.

"We have basic, first aid training (also known as self aid buddy care in basic training) - so we figured we could help," he said. "Other people had gathered around and called 911, but no really knew what else to do."

Myers, who just completed basic training last year, said that once the gentleman regained consciousness they concentrated on keeping him calm and still. When he is not on orders, Myers is a student in Wisconsin at the New Tribes Bible Institute, while Moser works as a security officer at Allied Barton in Seattle.

"We knew he was confused, but we kept telling him the paramedics were on the way and tried to get him to rest," the Airman said.

After the West Pierce County Fire Department paramedics arrived and took over the patient's care, one paramedic, Jerry Sommer, took the time to speak with the Airmen and get their names. The next day, he contacted their supervisor to commend them on their actions.

"To us, it didn't seem like a huge deal, just what we were supposed to do," Myers said. "It's nice to get credit, but that's not at all why we did it."