Courtesy Photo | Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Lawrence Wilson, a recruiter assigned to Navy Talent...... read more read more
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SMYRNA, Ga.- The Lake Cartersville waterfront was crowded with swimmers and families enjoying the warm and sunny Memorial Day weekend. Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Lawrence Wilson, a recruiter assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Atlanta, decided to look for a quieter shoreline that was a little more secluded for him and his family to enjoy. He didn’t know it at the time, but that decision put him in the right place at the right time for saving a life.
On a ship out to sea there are no ambulances or firefighters to call so Sailors are trained to respond to life-threatening situations, from basic first aid to emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Sailors are the first responder, receiving continuous training until it all becomes muscle memory.
“The Navy has provided me with training in life-saving skills since boot camp,” said Wilson. “We receive refresher training every few years and every time I think to myself, ‘I’m never going to use this training.’ To be honest, that weekend those learned skills were the furthest thing from my mind.”
Moments after parking his vehicle, Wilson and his family walked toward the water as they heard the laughter and voices of children playing in the lake. Wilson scanned the area and noticed adults in the water with the kids. While preparing to go in the water himself, Wilson heard adults screaming and this time it did not sound playful.
“I looked to my right where the screaming was coming from and noticed a man with a young child in his arms that looked lifeless,” said Wilson. “The man was surrounded by people in a panic as he quickly carried the girl to the shoreline. I took off running down the shore toward the girl and watched as the man attempted CPR incorrectly.”
Wilson ran to where the man had laid the girl while shouting to him, “I know CPR!” Once he arrived, he dropped to his knees and pushed the panicked man out of the way. Wilson immediately began putting the life-saving skills the Navy had taught him to use.
Wilson performed CPR for 10-15 minutes before the girl was able to regain consciousness.
“Everything around me faded and the only thing I could focus on was trying to save the girl,” said Wilson. “When she came to, I kept asking her if she was okay, but she wasn’t responding. Then I saw a woman using sign language to communicate with her. The man, who was her father, informed me his wife and daughter were both non-verbal deaf.”
The six-year-old girl was air-lifted to a hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she made a full recovery. The hospital staff stated that if Wilson arrived seconds later, the girl would not have survived.
NTAG Atlanta was made aware of Wilson’s heroic actions when the father of the child sent an email to Wilson’s leadership in late June.
“We are very proud of AO2 Wilson for his heroism,” said NTAG Atlanta Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Kimberly George. “His actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of Naval Service and for that we have nominated him for the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.”
NTAG Atlanta’s area of responsibility includes more than 35 Navy Recruiting Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations spread throughout 82,000 square miles of Georgia, Alabama and parts of Florida.
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 26 NTAGs and 64 Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2021 09:47 |
| Story ID: | 402114 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 2,622 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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