U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Willie Stewart, from Colorado, a CH-53E Super Stallion student pilot with Marine Heavy Helicopter Training Squadron (HMHT) 302, poses for a photo during an award ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, June 17, 2025. Stewart received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for providing lifesaving immediate medical treatment and coordinating emergency medical care for a driver after a vehicle crash on Interstate 95 in Virginia on May 17, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bryan Giraldo)
U.S. Marines with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 252 fly KC-130J Super Hercules in order to conduct surge operations near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, June 18, 2025. VMGR-252 conducted surge operations to exercise their ability to launch and recover multiple divisions of aircraft concurrently. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Gavin K. Kulczewski)
The day was sunny and the roads were dry – ideal conditions for driving – as U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Willie Stewart drove his truck down Interstate 95. He was heading to Norfolk, Virginia, on May 17, 2025, to board a U.S. Navy ship that would take him to Fleet Week New York.
As Stewart drove, he witnessed a traffic accident on the opposite side of the highway. A Chevrolet Colorado had collided into a Chrysler Sebring, causing a serious accident. After the collision, the Chevrolet went into the ditch in the grassy median of the highway. Stewart immediately pulled over his vehicle and rushed onto the scene. The feeling of needing to act raced through his mind as he leapt out of his truck to assess the accident.
Stewart, a...
06.24.2025 | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
Story by Lance Cpl. Bryan Giraldo
