Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Ange Desinor | Sgt. 1st Class Felipe Cruz, an Equal Opportunity Advisor for Headquarters and...... read more read more
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FORT CARSON, Colorado – He checks his vehicle ensuring all of his military equipment were accounted for before he sets off to Fort Carson, Colorado, to turn them in before he retires.
He puts his seatbelt on, turns the radio on and drives away. After a few minutes into his driving, he adjusts his mind to autopilot as he makes this long journey.
As he gets on the main highway, approximately 50 miles outside of Albuquerque from Arizona, Sgt. 1st Class Felipe Cruz, an Equal Opportunity Advisor for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, 4th Infantry Division, noticed two bikers on the side of the road.
“I’m a biker myself,” said Cruz. “I decided to pull over behind them to see if they needed help or if they broke down.”
As he exited his truck, his instincts kicked in and he knew something wasn’t right.
“I saw one of the gentlemen was still sitting on his bike,” said Cruz. “He couldn’t move because he had a wound to his left chin.”
Without hesitation, Cruz asked him if he were okay and immediately rendered basic medical aide.
“I triaged him,” said Cruz. “He looked very pale, weak and had lost a lot of blood. His whole boots, socks, pants as well as the ground had a lot of blood.”
Cruz used the biker, Paul Atencio’s bandana as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
He ran back to his truck to grab towels to apply pressure and cover Atencio’s wound.
“I asked him if he called for help and he told me that he called his wife who was about an hour away,” said Cruz. “In his condition, there was no way she would have made it to him in time with the amount of blood he was losing.”
The nearest hospital was also an hour away.
“I made an assessment to stabilize him because he couldn’t move,” said Cruz. “I carried him off the bike from the back, like the fireman carry. I picked him up again and carried him in the fetal position and into my truck.”
Waiting for an ambulance to drive out of five o’clock traffic to get to Atencio wasn’t an option.
“I decided to take him to the hospital,” said Cruz. “As soon as I got there, I hoped out of my truck and grabbed a wheelchair. We also met his wife at the hospital.
Soldiers are accustomed to reacting quickly.
“We are trained to assess situations and react in a timely manner,” said Cruz. “His injury was a lot worse than what we both thought. His leg was shattered and required emergency surgery the next day.”
Cruz made a new friend.
“He keeps me updated on his condition and well being,” said Cruz. “You can say that we are friends now.”
Atencio is very grateful for Cruz’s heroic act.
“I thank God for the miracle because my situation could have been much worse,” said Atencio. “Minutes after it [the incident] happened, a man [Cruz] stopped to help. I've had a successful surgery since.”
As Atencio looked back and reflected on what had happened, he was happy that Cruz displayed his heroism.
“The character, honor and integrity shown by Mr. Cruz are exemplary and worthy of mention,” said Atencio.
Cruz said he was just doing something a normal person would do to help someone in need.
| Date Taken: | 10.24.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 11.22.2016 13:08 |
| Story ID: | 215583 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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