Staff Sgt. Sydney Jackson, a human resources and administration specialist with the 181st Force Support Squadron, put her tactical combat casualty care training to use over Thanksgiving weekend.
Jackson and her boyfriend had traveled to Tennessee to gather with family for Thanksgiving, and went to visit a friend while they were in town. During their visit, their friend was cleaning his handgun and had accidentally discharged a round into his left thigh. Immediately 911 was dialed and Jackson’s training was set into action.
“I guess instinct just took over,” said Jackson when asked about her response to the accident. “I wasn’t thinking much of anything other than ‘we need to stop the bleeding.’”
Jackson first helped their friend to the ground and then removed his belt to use as a makeshift tourniquet. Once in place, she tightened and secured the tourniquet with a broken piece of metal that was nearby. She followed TCCC procedures, talking to her friend and ensuring he stayed awake while keeping pressure on the wound until the ambulance showed up 30 minutes later. Their friend was then transported to a helicopter to be lifelined to Vanderbilt Trauma Center in Nashville, TN.
After the incident, a police officer called Jackson’s boyfriend to gather information for the police report. The officer also commended Jackson for her make-shift tourniquet and her actions.
“He wanted to thank me,” explained Jackson. “He said that I did an excellent job controlling the bleeding, making sure he was still awake, making sure everything was what needed to be done, and that I potentially saved his life, but definitely saved his leg.”
While TCCC training is required at minimum every three years, there are various situations and positions that require recertification more frequently. Jackson has been at the 181st Intelligence Wing more than four years and recalls receiving TCCC training at least annually. As a result, Jackson was able to put these skills into action and save a friend.
Having heard of her decisive and heroic acts, Maj. Gen. Lawrence “Larry” Muennich, the Adjutant General of Indiana, coined Jackson during his visit to the 181st IW this past week.
“I feel honored that I got to receive the coin,” said Jackson. “ I don’t feel like I really deserve getting anything. I feel like I did what anyone else would have done.”