OKINAWA, Japan — U.S. Marines with 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, acted quickly to assist a civilian experiencing a medical emergency at a local restaurant on Jan. 21, 2026.
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Gabriel Castleman and Sgt. Logan Gilbert, both combat engineers with 9th ESB, were dining at a ramen restaurant when they noticed an elderly man losing consciousness.
“We were just eating when the gentleman started leaning back,” said Castleman. “At first, we thought he was laughing at something his friend said, but then we realized he was having a medical emergency.”
As the man began to fall, Gilbert caught him before he hit the floor. The Marines initially suspected the man was choking and attempted to clear his airway.
“Sgt. Gilbert caught him and laid him down in the recovery position,” said Castleman. “Then he started foaming at the mouth and coughing up blood.”
The Marines stayed with the man for several minutes, monitoring his condition while keeping him as comfortable as possible. When the man attempted to stand and move around, he became disoriented. They safely guided him back to his seat and continued to observe him. The elderly man attempted to wander once more and collapsed again shortly after. Gilbert supported him until emergency medical services arrived on scene. The Marines remained with the man until he was taken into medical care.
“We wanted to make sure we could at least help him, and try to save his life if it came down to it,” said Gilbert. Sgt. Gilbert and Cpl. Castleman acted without hesitation, using their training to help a local elderly man. Their actions highlighted the importance of building positive relations with the local Japanese community.
“At its core, the Marine Corps has a sense of service and responsibility to others, and the ambassadorship that each one of our Marines represents is incredibly important.”, said Maj. Jim McGeady. “Them doing what is expected of their training and their ability; we’re very proud of them for that…”
Their quick response and composed behavior exemplified what it means to be Marines, ready to assist whenever needed.