OKINAWA, Japan - Three U.S. Navy hospital corpsmen with 12th Marines were awarded the Army Achievement Medal August 7 at Camp Casey Army Garrison, Republic of Korea, during Korean Marine Exchange Program 12-7.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Geoffrey Ward and Hospitalmen Mario Gallon and Zachory Myers, attached to 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, received the medals for rendering medical assistance to U.S. Army soldiers involved in a Humvee rollover.
“The Humvee went off the road and tumbled over the side,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Reese D. Ritter, the senior enlisted medical advisor with the regiment. “The soldiers made their way back up the road the corpsmen saw them and provided medical assistance.”
The soldiers were at Nightmare Range, Republic of Korea, in support of a ROK and U.S. Marines’ bilateral live-fire training event when their vehicle rolled over.
The training the corpsmen received earlier during KMEP 12-7 turned out to be critical, as the training scenario presented itself in real life.
“I am very glad the two soldiers are doing well,” said Ward. “We saw one soldier on the road, and he looked pretty shaken up. We could tell he needed help, so we gave him medical care and evacuated him. We were just doing our jobs.”
The medals were presented by U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jeremy P. McGuire, the commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
“This is the first time I’ve presented the Army Achievement Medal since taking command of the battalion, and I’m presenting it to sailors from the Navy,” said McGuire. “That’s something that you don’t see very often, but I’m grateful for their assistance and glad to be awarding them.”