Photo By Bradley Hicks | Arnold Air Force Base Security Forces Administrative Lt. Holly Wilder, left, receives...... read more read more
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – It is often said that law enforcement officers are never truly off-duty.
Arnold Air Force Base Security Forces Administrative Lt. Holly Wilder recently exemplified this notion when an incident demanding potentially-lifesaving intervention occurred during a night of celebration.
On the evening of July 21, an off-duty Wilder was at the Firebirds Wood Fired Grill restaurant in Murfreesboro to celebrate her best friend’s birthday.
After finishing dinner, the two opted for some fresh air and stepped outside, continuing their conservation while waiting for Wilder’s husband and her friend’s fiancé to rejoin the group.
It wasn’t long after they went outside that Wilder observed a woman exit the eatery. This fellow restaurant patron was in distress and gasping for air.
“I asked her, ‘Are you OK? Are you OK?’ She shook her head, ‘No,’” Wilder said. “I said, ‘Are you choking?’ She shook her head, ‘Yes’ and was trying to breathe but could not breathe.”
Fortunately, Wilder was prepared for such a moment.
Law enforcement officials at Arnold AFB are required to complete CPR certification training every two years. Included in this course is training on how to properly perform the Heimlich maneuver.
The Heimlich maneuver, also referred to as abdominal thrusts, is a first-aid procedure applied to clear the blocked airway of a choking victim. As its alternate name implies, the Heimlich is used to dislodge obstructions through thrusts to the victim’s abdominal area.
Wilder first delivered several blows to the woman’s back, which is recommended by the American Red Cross prior to engaging the Heimlich. When this failed to improve the woman’s condition, Wilder, for the first time in her 18-year law enforcement career, performed the Heimlich maneuver.
“This is what I was thinking while I was giving her the Heimlich – ‘I am so glad I know how to do this,’ because I would never have been able to live with myself if I had to watch her die, basically,” Wilder said. “I definitely am very thankful that I know how to do it.”
It took only a few thrusts to dislodge the obstruction – a piece of steak slightly larger than a quarter – from the woman’s airway. Able to now catch her breath, the woman, after composing herself, expressed her gratitude to Wilder.
“After she got to where she could breathe and she wasn’t so shaken up, she hugged me and told me, ‘Thank you,’” Wilder said. “She was just stunned. You could tell she was really, really scared. It was just a crazy moment.”
Chief Ray Kelly, director of Arnold AFB Security Forces, also recognized Wilder’s unhesitating response in the face of an urgent situation.
“Her quick actions successfully dislodged the obstruction and allowed the individual to breathe normally once again,” Kelly said. “Officer Wilder’s response exemplifies the professionalism, training and the commitment to public safety that defines our department. Her ability to remain calm under pressure and render lifesaving aid, even while off-duty, reflects great credit upon herself and our law enforcement community as a whole.”
Wilder encourages non-first responders to complete CPR and Heimlich training because, as her recent evening at Firebirds demonstrated, lifesaving techniques may be needed at a moment’s notice.
“I was so glad that I had the training,” Wilder reiterated. “For a civilian who doesn’t do law enforcement or not in the medical field, having that training, if not just for your family, but in a situation where you’re out, you don’t have to feel helpless. I couldn’t imagine not knowing how to do that and that woman standing there. It could have been a lot different.”
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2025 10:00 |
| Story ID: | 545438 |
| Location: | ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 154 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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