Photo By Lance Cpl. Braydon Rogers | U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Abigail Rodriguezpabon, a Florida native and an...... read more read more
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Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.— Lance Cpl. Abigail Rodriguezpabon was awarded an impact Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal aboard MCB Quantico, June 20, for lifesaving actions performed the previous month.
On May 8, Abigail, a pay clerk at Installation Personnel Administration Center with Security Battalion, was driving northbound on Richmond Highway (Route 1) for an appointment at Fort Belvoir—a road she explained she doesn’t typically take—when traffic became heavy. She followed the traffic as most people do, but she reacted differently when she realized it was a multi-vehicle accident on the southbound lane.
She explained there was a lot of markings and debris on the streets, eventually seeing several cars in ditches or on the shoulder of the median.
“I got out [of my car], and I just took off running toward the cars,” she explained, appearing as though she was still shocked by her decision.
As she ran, she checked up on every person inside or near a vehicle that appeared to be a part of the accident, asking if they were okay and if they called 911.
“I get to the fourth car … and they got the worst of it,” she said.
The driver had split his forehead stretching to the top of his scalp, and a U.S. soldier was applying pressure to keep the bleeding down, she explained. So, she went to the passenger to help but realized there was a child seat in the car and asked where the child was.
“I was preparing mentally to see a kid somewhere in a ditch,” she admitted. “Luckily, they said they didn’t bring their child with them.”
The passenger was less responsive, seemingly unconscious with a large welt on his head and leg trauma. She took off her Marine Corps Martial Arts Program belt, applied a make-shift tourniquet to the passenger’s leg and conducted a sternum rub to help him gain consciousness—techniques taught to every Marine during Marine Corps recruit training and Marine Combat Training.
After the sternum rub, the passenger gained consciousness; Abigail reassured him help is on the way and that he will be okay, though, he couldn’t respond due to the trauma sustained to his face.
Abigail, a Florida native, remained at site until all casualties were loaded into the Fairfax Emergency Responder vehicles.
She tried to go on about her day, but the moment stayed with her, so she called her mother to talk about her experience.
“She was going through a lot [at the time],” Norma Pabon explained, mother of Abigail and who lives in Florida. “I was just trying to encourage her—she did what she could, because other people wouldn’t have done the same as her.”
During this conversation, Norma explained to Abigail something that she didn’t think of.
“If you were in that situation, I would want someone to immediately pull over, come up, and help you,” which opened Abigail's eyes to the significance of her actions; she helped someone go back home to their family.
“I am just proud of her—that God put her in that position on that particular day,” said Norma.
Abigail explained she acted on instincts, and her early training in the Corps allowed her to act in a circumstance she would otherwise not be prepared for.
“You don’t have to be whatever military occupational specialty to save a life or even make a difference—anyone can make a difference,” she said. “I wasn’t planning on taking Route 1; I wasn’t planning on saving another person’s life … I am really glad I got that training, because I just applied it.”
Abigail even visited the hospital to see how the people she helped were doing.
“She came to the hospital as soon as she could … and that’s when we all met,” said Shantae Lovelace, the aunt of Kevon and Kamari, the two in the car whom Abigail helped.
Lovelace was moved by Abigail’s compassion for her nephews’ wellbeing, expressing how Abigail even apologized to her nephew for waking him up with a sternum rub.
While in tears and her voice breaking, Lovelace said “Man, she didn’t have to do the foot work to make sure they were okay.”
She took a deep breath, and continued, “That’s how you know she is a good person—apologizing for even doing something good.”
Lovelace recalled how an officer responding to the accident told her that if it weren’t for the people who stopped to help her nephews, they may have lost their lives.
“I am so glad she is getting recognized,” Lovelace said proudly. “She deserves this recognition.”
| Date Taken: | 06.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.20.2025 14:54 |
| Story ID: | 501151 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 319 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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