Air commandos perform mission of mercy

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Michael Farris
  • 353rd Special Operations Group Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFPN) --  Quick actions of three airmen helped save a Japanese woman's life following an auto accident outside the base gate here Jan. 15.

While returning to Kadena from another military installation about 4 p.m., three members of the 353rd Special Operations Group were stopped at a traffic light about a mile from the base.

"We heard tires squealing and then saw a dark blue (car) fishtailing through the intersection," said Tech. Sgt. Frank Hill, an MC-130H Combat Talon II flight engineer with the 1st Special Operations Squadron. "I was pretty sure it wasn't going to hit any other cars, and then it smashed into the guard rail on the opposite side of the road."

Capt. Christian Lichter, an aircraft commander with the 1st SOS, said the car rode up onto the curb and the guardrail sliced it from the door post to the back of the passenger door.

"It seemed as if a giant can opener peeled the car open (on) the passenger side," he said. "Frank and I immediately jumped out of the truck and ran across the street to assess the situation."

The driver appeared uninjured, but was shaking his front-seat passenger who was unresponsive and bleeding from the mouth.

Staff Sgt. Michael Maroney, a pararescueman with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron, was also in the truck with Lichter and Hill. He pulled their military vehicle out of traffic and sprinted to the scene.

"We were coming home from Camp Hansen where we were completing a weapons-qualification course," Maroney said. "Fortunately I had my medical (bag) with me and was able to start treatment quickly."

The passenger, a female Japanese teenager, was pinned between the dashboard and a guardrail post. Her breathing was shallow and her pulse was very weak, said Maroney. Her face was turning purple because her heavy parka was twisted around the guardrail post. According to Hill, the car, the guardrail and the woman were so intertwined it was difficult to discern where one ended and the other began.

Lichter and Maroney knew she needed to be cut loose from the jacket, which was threatening to strangle her.

"With my trauma scissors, I began cutting through the jacket," said Maroney. "It was coiled around the post and very thick. At my angle, I couldn't make a lot of progress so I passed the scissors to Captain Lichter, who had taken the driver out of the vehicle and was now kneeling in the driver's seat."

The captain said slicing the jacket was like cutting through rope.

"Her jacket and shirt were woven into the wreckage and pinned her neck against the inside of the car," he said. "I cut through her clothes and around her neck as her face turned darker shades of purple."

"We couldn't see anything but this thick jacket and were concerned she might have more injuries," said Maroney. "But knowing the (airway, breathing and circulation) basic lifesaving fundamentals, we realized the futility of looking for further injury if she couldn't breathe."

Two workers from a nearby car dealership used a jack to help stabilize the crumpled car, which was teetering on the curb. After about 15 minutes, Japanese paramedics arrived and quickly delivered oxygen to the fading patient. Her pulse had stopped and blood continued to run from her mouth. A rescue crew also responded and brought the jaws-of-life to extract her from the car. By now, traffic was snarled and Hill helped direct traffic around the scene.

"On several occasions cars slammed on their brakes and skidded to avoid rear-end collisions as drivers rubbernecked to get a glimpse of the scene," said the sergeant.

After the ambulance raced away, the three air commandos breathed a collective sigh.

Maroney, who has only been at Kadena for six months, recently returned from a three-week ride-along program with New Orleans paramedics.

"My trauma skills are as sharp now as they've ever been," said Maroney. "I felt very confident and knew exactly what had to be done at that accident site. The training paid off."

For Lichter it was a rewarding way to spend his 33rd birthday.

"There's no such thing as a good accident," he said. "But when you can help someone out who's in a life-or-death situation, it's not something you contemplate -- you just do it. Once they pulled her out of the car, I realized she would probably live, and my day got much better."

While the group of bystanders watching the airmen work said little, Maroney said he could tell from their faces "they were grateful we were trying to help."

"I was exhausted when I got home," Hill said. "I had a long talk with my 11-year-old daughter about cruising around in cars. I was hungry, had a headache and just felt drained when the phone rang."

The Japanese police called Hill to let him know the girl was in intensive care, she was stabilized and given the best chance for a full recovery.

For three Kadena airmen who fought to save her life, those words validated their mission of mercy. (Courtesy of Air Force Special Operations Command News Service)