Photo By Staff Sgt. Christopher Bruce | Oklahoma Army National Guard Soldier Spc. James Thomas, of McLoud, Oklahoma, and a...... read more read more
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“The [leaders] are always stressing about being aware of your surroundings and paying attention to detail,” said Spc. James Thomas, of McLoud, Oklahoma, and a member of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. “Staying calm in those situations is what I have learned in the military.”
Thomas, 20, stopped to help a woman who had been shot in the head, on the side of the highway in Oklahoma City around 2 a.m. on July 5. He was heading home after an Independence Day party, when he and his friend, Jesus Porras, 19, of Oklahoma City, noticed a woman walking down the highway and immediately recognized something was wrong.
The woman had been shot in the face by her boyfriend just minutes before. Knowing time was critical, Thomas called 911 and told Porras to stay with the woman and keep her calm. Thomas took directions from emergency officials over the phone in order to maintain control of the situation, relaying messages to Porras.
“The lady was asking for a pillow to lay down and go to sleep,” Thomas said. “So we were trying to keep her awake by walking with her and talking to her.”
The injured boyfriend was at a different location and waved down police. The police quickly realized the situation and arrested him. Paramedics took the woman to the hospital where she recovered.
“I think that if he hadn’t been there at the right time for that, it could have ended a lot different for her,” said 1st Sgt. John T. Workman, 38, of Owasso, Oklahoma, Bravo Company’s first sergeant, as he commended Thomas for his actions. “You’ve got slices of good going on all around you and Thomas is one of them. It does my heart so much good, this is why I became a first sergeant.”
Thomas has never deployed, but said his Basic Training and training in his two years as a Guardsman prepared him to remain composed.
He has been to two annual trainings with his unit and was also called to serve in the Guymon Snowstorm in 2015. His most recent annual training included working alongside Oklahoma Highway Patrol during high intensity riot scenarios. Thomas said that training specifically helped him stay calm in intense situations. He finished the riot training just days before this shooting incident.
Thomas joined the Oklahoma National Guard as an infantryman in early 2014. He is pursuing a degree in Criminology from Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma, and hopes to make a career in law enforcement.
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.19.2016 15:14 |
| Story ID: | 204271 |
| Location: | ENID, OK, US |
| Hometown: | MCLOUD, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 126 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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