Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Sasha Ambrose | U.S. Navy Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Ernesto Olguin, from Dallas, assigned to...... read more read more
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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Two Sailors assigned to USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) driving home after seeing a movie found themselves leaping into action after coming across a serious car accident.
Airman Bryan Montalban from New York City and Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class (AD3) Ernesto Olguin, from Dallas, were quick to respond when they saw a crashed pickup truck smoking on the side of the I-64 freeway in Hampton, Va. the evening of Sept. 8, 2023.
“I’m just grateful that God put us there in that time and place to help,” Montalban said.
Olguin and Montalban leaned on their training from temporary duty in the Stennis security department. They immediately unlocked the vehicle through a cracked window and remove the victim from the car using a buddy carry.
As a civilian bystander called 911 for assistance, the two Sailors assessed the driver for injuries and moved them away from the crash toward the guardrails
“We noticed the airbags didn’t deploy, and he must have hit his head on the steering wheel,” said Olguin.
Just when Montalban and Olguin thought the situation was going to be resolved quickly, the driver started passing in and out of consciousness. The driver’s phone also started ringing and the sailors were able to identify the caller was the victim’s wife.
“We had to take control of the situation,” Olguin said. “We didn’t know how long it would take for help to arrive, so we took turns doing CPR, attending to his cuts and calming down his wife on the phone.”
Paramedics arrived on scene approximately 30 minutes after the Sailors started rendering assistance.
“I was raised to take care of those who need it before myself,” said Montalban. “Not to mention, the training we both received from the Navy helped us stay calm in the situation and know how to respond. Thinking back, it was a bit scary, but we only thought about how we could help and what we were trained to do.”
The training that they received while working in the security department, along with their CPR certification, allowed them to stay calm and keep the driver alive on the side of the freeway.
Both Sailors were recognized by the both the Virginia State Troopers and the Navy for their contributions and quick actions which likely saved the driver’s life.
“We aim to foster a sense of teamwork and comradery onboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74),” said Capt. J. Patrick Thompson, Stennis’s commanding officer, during an awards presentation to the Sailors. “With this comes a responsibility to take care of one another, whether that is looking out for your shipmate’s safety while at work, or knowing when to act out in town and help our community. I am incredibly proud of Airman Montalban and AD3 Ernesto Olguin. Their actions speak for themselves and are the true embodiment of what it means to serve.”
Stennis is the seventh Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to undergo an RCOH, preparing the ship for the second-half of its 50-year service life.
For more news on John C. Stennis, visit https://www.airpac.navy.mil/Organization/USS-John-C-Stennis-CVN-74 or follow along on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stennis74.
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.03.2023 12:40 |
| Story ID: | 455029 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 358 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, What it Means to Serve: Stennis Sailors Render Assistance After Car Accident, by PO3 Sasha Ambrose, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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