Photo By Tech. Sgt. Branden Rae | Lt. Col. Erland Torrey, commander of the 419th Security Forces Squadron, presents...... read more read more
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The sound was the first thing to fade.
A heartbeat – fast, frantic – slipped into silence as panicked whispers rippled across a backyard pool deck. Children stood frozen, their voices hushed with fear. Adults shouted for someone to call 911. Others cried openly, the weight of the moment pressing heavy in the summer air.
At the center of the chaos, a 4-year-old girl lay motionless.
While panic gripped those around him, Staff Sgt. Jarrin Vine remained calm.
Without hesitation, Vine moved through the water, lifting the child from the pool. His hands worked with purpose as instinct and training took over – chin lifted, back strikes delivered, breaths attempted. When that didn’t work, he adjusted, flipping her over and beginning chest compressions.
Moments later, the silence broke.
The girl coughed. Water spilled from her lungs. She drew a breath, and then another.
Tears of fear turned into tears of relief as adults cried joyfully and children screamed with excitement. What had been a moment of terror transformed into one of gratitude and disbelief.
The child would survive.
That life-saving response was formally recognized Saturday, Jan. 10, during an award ceremony at Hill Air Force Base, where Vine received the Air Force Air and Space Commendation Medal for his actions.
Vine, a security forces fire team member with the 419th Security Forces Squadron, responded last summer when a young girl was found face down in a backyard pool during a neighborhood gathering in July.
“My immediate thought was she just swallowed water,” Vine said. “But when I realized she wasn’t responding and was without oxygen, I went straight to my training.”
Vine credited his ability to stay calm under pressure to his military service and prior deployments, which conditioned him to focus on the immediate task rather than the surrounding chaos.
“The military has taught me to stay calm and composed during stressful situations,” he said. “Fight or flight kicks in, and I went directly into what we were taught.”
That training included CPR instruction provided during a unit training assembly by now retired Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Lemonds, a volunteer firefighter with a local county fire and rescue department. During one Unit Training Assembly, Lemonds trained 419th Security Forces members on lifesaving techniques, reinforcing the dual role of Citizen Airmen who bring civilian expertise into the uniform, and carry military skills back into their communities.
The rescue was a team effort. Vine’s wife called 911. The child’s mother assisted with CPR. A neighbor who was a nurse arrived to help stabilize the child until paramedics arrived. Vine emphasized that no single person acted alone.
“I didn’t do CPR by myself,” Vine said. “Everybody had a part in it.”
Vine also credited his son, Hudson, with alerting nearby adults after being the first to notice something was wrong. Hudson was also formally recognized for his actions during the ceremony.
Leadership from the 419th Security Forces Squadron said Vine’s actions exemplify what the unit trains its Airmen to do.
“This is exactly what we expect our defenders to do, step up during times of adversity,” said Lt. Col. Erland Torrey, commander of the 419th Security Forces Squadron. “Staff Sergeant Vine immediately acted, followed our core values, and did what was right.”
Chief Master Sgt. Zachary Astrup, the squadron’s senior enlisted leader, said the unit’s training builds stress inoculation, preparing Airmen to perform in critical moments.
“When that event happens, whatever it may be, it’s not the first time they’ve been under stress,” Astrup said. “Their mind understands, ‘I’ve been here. I know what to do.’”
For Vine, the recognition is appreciated, but the outcome matters most.
A child went home alive. A family was spared unimaginable loss. And a Citizen Airman proved that readiness doesn’t end when the uniform comes off, it carries forward, wherever duty calls.
| Date Taken: | 02.04.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2026 15:48 |
| Story ID: | 557451 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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