MCAS Marine earns medal for saving Beaufort boy’s life
Sgt. Samantha Alexander was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time seven months ago. As a result, she saved a teenaged boy’s life.
Now, she’s being rewarded for her actions.
Alexander, the Distribution Management Office freight non-commissioned officer in charge at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal (NCM) on Nov. 13 for saving the life of a local teenager April 25, 2019.
The NCM is a decoration presented by the U.S. Department of the Navy to service members of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps who have performed an exceedingly heroic act, exceptional achievement, or commendable service that has not been recognized by a higher award
She was driving home with her daughter and as she turned into her neighborhood the car ahead of her slammed on the breaks and swerved, hitting two boys on their bicycles.
Alexander pulled safely off the road, and began to approach the scene. As she was getting closer, she noticed that the woman who had hit the two boys was standing over them screaming franticly, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!”
Another gentleman ran to attend to one of the boys, so Alexander helped the other.
“While I started talking to the (boy), I asked him his name, how old he was and I told him who I was. He said he had just got released from high school, and they were riding their bikes home.”
As she talked to the boy, she examined his body for trauma.
“I noticed that he had blood on his pants and they were torn. I (moved) the sweatpants, and could see bone and fatty tissue. I pulled off my belt and I tied it as far above the laceration as possible.”
Alexander kept telling the boy to brace for the pain, but due to the traumatic leg injury he couldn’t feel his leg.
“Once I got it tightened down as much as I could, I locked it in place and sat there talking to him.”
Despite seeing tunnel vision, and having spiked adrenaline, Alexander remained calm for the boy until emergency services arrived.
Shortly after EMS arrived, the boys were taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital where the 15-year-old was immediately transported to Savannah. The doctors confirmed that it was an arterial bleed, and Alexander’s quick reaction to stop the bleeding saved his life.
“If I wasn’t a Marine, I would not have known what to do at all,” Alexander said. “It was instinct and I hope that any one of us would have done the same thing.”
