To help, or not to help? This is the question that 2nd Lt. Jacob Norden, 707th Maintenance Squadron Director of Operations, had to answer when he encountered an injured motorcyclist on his way home from maintenance officer tech school Nov. 30, Titus County, Texas.
As a motorcyclist himself, Norden immediately understood the severity of the situation and pulled over.
“I saw a motorcycle in the middle of the road and realized immediately there’d been an accident,” he said. “As a motorcycle rider myself, it hit a little harder, so I proceeded to pull over and noticed people standing in a ditch off the side of the road.”
After parking, Norden realized the situation was serious, though not immediately life-threatening.
“Once I got out of my truck, I realized that everyone was standing over the motorcycle rider,” he said. “I proceeded over to him, saw he was conscious and didn’t need CPR or anything.”
Though he didn’t witness the accident, the scene before him – a road littered with a shredded jacket and riding boots – painted a clear picture of the rider’s condition.
“His helmet was further down the ditch,” Norden said. “I don’t know if it came off in the wreck or if someone took it off, but since he was wearing a helmet, that’s probably why he’s still alive.”
He realized that the rider had sustained a serious fracture to his left leg and was able to utilize the Self-Aid and Buddy Care (SABC) and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) training he received from the Air Force, Norden ensured the safety of the driver by administering first aid and applying a tourniquet.
“Another bystander and I ran the tourniquet underneath his thigh, above the knee on his left leg, and pulled it really tight, gave it several twists, and wrote the time on it since we were waiting on EMS.”
Emergency Medical Services arrived within ten minutes of the tourniquet application, conducted their assessment, placed the driver on a stretcher with Norden’s assistance, and loaded him onto a helicopter. When asked if he would offer help in a similar situation, he said, “100%.”
“At the end of the day, I donated 30 minutes of my drive home to this guy and that’s nothing compared to what could have been worse,” said Norden. “I would hope that if I were the victim of an accident that someone with training and experience would stop and help me.”
Norden’s actions on the evening of Nov. 30 resonate closely with his military service. In 2014, he enlisted as a weapons troop assigned to the 307th Bomb Wing, sharing that his family and love of country influenced his decision.
“I joined because I love my country, and I look up to a lot of guys who served,” Norden said. “I decided that I was healthy and able, and I should do the same.”
11 years later, he still applies that same attitude towards his service and the way he carries himself on a day-to-day basis – a characteristic that his military leadership knows all Reserve Airmen possess.
"2nd Lt. Norden’s actions on that highway are an example of how our Reserve Airmen can use their training when they choose to step in,” said Brig. Gen. Keith Merrill, 10th Air Force Commander. “We’re proud of his professionalism and composure in a difficult situation.”
While he watched the driver get airlifted from the scene, there was one thought running through Norden’s mind.
“I would just hope that people don’t blow that course off (SBAC and TCCC) and actually practice it and think about it,” he said. “I didn’t wake up and think I’d be applying a tourniquet that day, but I knew how to use it because I paid attention in the course.”