On September 6, 2023, upon their arrival at the Chicago office, two Marine recruiters were startled by a loud noise emanating from outside the building.
Responding swiftly to the commotion, Staff Sergeants Amilcar Marroquinsalinas and Eric Kinglewis rushed to the scene where a [ppp0] lay on the side of the road, surrounded by debris scattered from curb to curb. The driver of the car that collided with the motorcycle appeared shaken, possibly in a state of shock.
Despite the presence of a gathering crowd, none were offering assistance; some were merely recording the unfolding events on their mobile devices.
Without hesitation, Kinglewis and Salinas took action.
“I felt compelled to intervene and provide aid,” expressed Kinglewis.
Marroquinsalinas instructed Kinglewis to retrieve the first aid kit from the recruiting office and place a call to 911.
Upon Kinglewis’s return, the duo commenced evaluating the motorcyclist’s injuries. Marroquinsalinas identified a severe laceration on the rider’s leg, promptly applying pressure to the wound and securing it with a clean bandage from the kit.
Sergeant Major Nathaniel Eirich, the Recruiting Station Chicago’s sergeant major, commended the decisive actions of Staff Sgts. Kinglewis and Marroquinsalinas under duress, highlighting their crucial role in administering vital first aid to save a life. Eirich emphasized the Marines’ inherent training to assist those in need regardless of the circumstances.
Subsequently, police officers arriving at the scene applied an additional tourniquet to the leg injury, with paramedics offering further medical support and transporting the injured rider to a medical facility.
Reflecting on the incident, Kinglewis shared, “I was able to leverage my training effectively, maintain composure, and contribute to ensuring the young man’s safe return home.”
This episode is not an isolated incident of Marine recruiters stepping in to save lives.
In 2015, [ppp1] was awakened in his Lewiston, Idaho, residence by screams in the early hours of the morning. Initially dismissing the noise as typical late-night revelry, he soon discovered a 19-year-old man suspended from a tree branch, contemplating self-harm. Despite initial hesitation from bystanders, Leifheit, invoking his Marine background, intervened to rescue the distressed individual, ultimately saving his life.
Similarly, in 2021, [ppp2], a recruiter in Fullerton, California, demonstrated decisive action at the scene of a three-car collision, aiding a trapped individual in a precarious situation. Maldonado’s quick thinking and intervention, characteristic of Marine training, were instrumental in ensuring the victim’s safety and well-being.
On February 10, 2020, Sgt. Nathan Miller, a recruiter in Pembroke, Virginia, encountered a severely damaged vehicle following a crash, with a child trapped inside. Miller’s immediate response, drawing upon his first aid skills, proved pivotal in providing crucial assistance to the distressed 2-year-old, reflecting his commitment to duty and compassion.
Todd South, a Marine veteran of the Iraq War, has extensively covered topics ranging from crime and courts to government and military affairs since 2004. His journalistic endeavors have been recognized, including a nomination as a Pulitzer finalist in 2014 for a collaborative project on witness intimidation.