Posted on 04/17/2009 9:57:04 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
Pair helps save shooting victim's life in Myrtle Beach
Most people run away from gunshots — as fast as they can. Two airmen from Shaw Air Force Base ran toward them.
Now, thanks to their bravery, a shooting victim is alive and well.
When shots rang out in the early hours of Sunday, March 8, at Myrtle Beach's popular nightclub, Club Kryptonite, at 2926 Hollywood Drive, partygoers began exiting the building. Airman 1st Class Ryan Scott, 19, and Airman Vinh Pham, 22, were waiting for a taxi in the club's parking lot. They made their way through the crowds. After seeing a man on the ground bleeding, they swung into action.
"We used his buddy's shirt to stop the bleeding," said Scott. "Then we shouted that we needed some soda. That raises the blood sugar. And we kept talking to him to keep him conscious."
How did the pair know what to do? They used using first aid training they had received just a few months before at their basic training program on Lackland Air Force Base.
"We just did what the Air Force taught us," Pham said.
According to published reports, a bouncer at the club, Steven Walsh, tried to break up a fight. He reached for Michael Jay Lee, who allegedly grabbed a gun and fired it twice. Walsh was hit in his upper back. During the melee, a second victim, Brett "Rocko" Lamar Floyd, was also hit.
Keith Gedamke / The Item Airman 1st Class Ryan Scott Because Scott and Pham saw Floyd first, they began administering first aid treatment to him.
"That's what we learned," said Pham. "You go to the closest one. Besides, no one else would step up."
Meanwhile, several bystanders wrestled Lee to the ground and held him until officers arrived. Scott and Pham stayed with Floyd until the paramedics arrived approximately 10-15 minutes later.
Lee, 23, was arrested and charged with assault.
Scott and Pham were recently recognized for their quick thinking and bravery. They were each awarded the Lt. Ervin Shaw Award, which is bestowed at the discretion of the wing commander to Shaw airmen who go above and beyond the call of duty, demonstrating outstanding performance.
Keith Gedamke / The Item Airman Vinh Pham "We are proud of Airmen Pham and Scott," 20th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Joseph Guastella said. "When they went to Myrtle Beach for some R&R, they never dreamed they'd be thrust into a life-or-death situation. But when it happened, they put their Air Force training in gear and risked their own safety to help the injured."
Their actions, added Guastella, demonstrated core Air Force values.
"We call it, 'Service before self,'" he explained. "(These young men) epitomize what we hope to see in all our airmen. Their quick action went above and beyond and helped save lives."
The Lt. Ervin Shaw Award was named in honor of 1st Lt. Ervin David Shaw, one of the first Americans to fly combat missions in World War I. A Sumter County native, Shaw died after three enemy aircraft attacked his Bristol F-2 Fighter while he was returning from a reconnaissance mission.
ping.
ping.
With all the negative things happening on the political front, it’s refreshing to be reminded of the selflessness of our brave men and women in the armed forces. God Bless them and keep them safe.
They did good.
Thread BUMP.
Thanks Cindy.
Good people doing good things.
While I applaud the airmen involved....the episode itself is another example of how unsafe things are starting to become. I work with a guy from North Carolina (we work overseas)...and he cites story after story of bar episodes or robberies where regular people have walked into a dangerous situation. This isn’t Chicago or Detroit that we are talking about....its places like Myrtle Beach and small towns throughout the Carolina region.
You could easily be sitting in a bar where some discussion gets heated and a minute later....things go out of proportion. Common sense is disappearing and we’ve got people who won’t hesitate to bring down another guy...over a spilled drink. Something is wrong here.
VERY good!!!
Thanks, Cindy!
I've never lived on the east coast, but I've lived my whole life all along the west coast, and small coastal towns are usually very laid back. Big coastal cities can be quite the opposite, as the need to make tremendous amounts of money lend to idolotry and status symbols instead of prayer and the many joys of being a friend to a stranger in need.
The changling has come with roomfulls of wedges that will cause people to withdraw, excuses to attack fantasy oppressors, and a cult of taking by force that which is not theirs.
There is going to be a rise in the horrifying treachery that afflicts DHS, dishonesty and greed in the EPA and others, and it will take a tremendous amount of pushing back before the P0ser even admits he knows about it.
Still, I take heart that men like Jet Jaguar's co workers will never turn away from an opportunity to save a stranger, and that is one big reason that the torment we are going through will be temporary, and we will inevitably win.
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