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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - New York Army National Guard commander and the adjutant general for New York State Maj. Gen. Patrick A. Murphy presents the New York State Medal for Valor to National Guard Staff Sgt. Marlana Watson, an Army medic and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Watson is a resident of Lindenhurst and originally is a Binghamton native.
The New York State Medal of Valor is the state's highest military award for heroism.
WHO: New York Army National Guard Marlana Watson and Maj. Gen. Patrick A. Murphy, the Adjutant General.
WHAT: Presentation of the New York State Medal of Valor
WHERE: Armed Forces Reserve Center, 25 Baiting Place Road, Farmingdale, New York, 11735
WHEN: 10 a.m. today, Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Media opportunity:
Interviews with Staff Sgt. Watson and images of the pinning of the medal.
For access to this secure facility, news media must contact Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Steven Petibone at 518-795-0369.
Background:
Staff Sgt. Marlana Watson, age 28, is being recognized for an incident which occurred when she lived in Syracuse, New York on the night of Nov. 5, 2014, when she rushed from her home out into the street when she heard gunfire. She found two teenage boys shot and bleeding on the ground. Heedless of the risk of further gun fire, Watson began administering emergency medical care to the boys and took charge of the scene, directing bystanders to assist in their treatment and call 911 while waiting for the police to respond.
"Without hesitation, Staff Sgt. Watson placed her own personal safety at risk in order to help those in need," said Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in an official release yesterday. "I commend her heroic actions and am proud to see this exemplary New Yorker receive this well-deserved honor."
The New York State Medal for Valor is awarded to members of the New York National Guard who display valor, heroism, courage or gallantry either in a military or civilian capacity.
Watson, who currently serves as an Army National Guard recruiter assigned to the Farmingdale recruiting office, was in her house at about 10 p.m. when she heard gunshots outside in the street. After checking on her sleeping son, she looked outside the house to see two boys, ages 13 and 15 laying in a yard across the street. She called for her sister to call 911 and then raced outside and across the street to help..
One boy was shot in his upper buttock. She had nothing to stop the bleeding so Watson pulled off the boy's boot and sock and used the sock as a bandage. She turned him over to check for an exit wound, and seeing none, she asked an onlooker to hold the bandage on the wound while she checked the other victim.
The other victim was shot in the thigh and in the calf. She told him he had to lie still and let her check his wounds because there is a major artery in the leg. That boy said he was getting cold so Watson sent her sister inside to get a blanket. By the time her sister returned, the police and emergency medical teams arrived and Watson turned the care of the two teens over to them.
Police later determined that passengers in a vehicle had shot at the two teenagers from behind.
At the time of the event Watson, a Binghamton native and graduate of Binghamton High School, was assigned to the 107th Military Police Company, which is headquartered in Brooklyn. She is now assigned to Company A of the New York Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion as a full-time recruiter.
A member of the New York Army National Guard since 2004, Watson served as a medic in Afghanistan in 2012 and 2013 with 3rd Battalion of the 401st Army Field Support Brigade at Bagram Air Base.
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.19.2015 05:22 |
| Story ID: | 173559 |
| Location: | FARMINGDALE, NY, US |
| Hometown: | BINGHAMTON, NY, US |
| Hometown: | LINDENHURST, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 830 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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