WASHINGTON – Two National Guard noncommissioned officers assigned to Joint Task Force–District of Columbia provided immediate medical aid to an injured minor following a vehicle-versus-scooter accident March 31, applying lifesaving skills learned through military training.
Staff Sgts. Tianna Wilson, Georgia National Guard, and Brianna Rodriguez-Munns, Arkansas National Guard, were returning from a range when they spotted a crowd gathered along an on-ramp and an unresponsive person in the roadway.
“I noticed the person lying on the ground looking unconscious because I was checking my blind spot to switch lanes,” Rodriguez-Munns said. “[I] saw people standing on an on-ramp and I was curious why people would be standing in the road at such a busy time of day.”
She parked the van she was driving as quickly and safely as she could before she and Wilson ran to provide whatever aid they could. Rodriguez-Munns began her military career as a combat medic, and her skills remain well-trained instincts.
“I feel my training helped me a lot. With all the ‘what if’ initial thoughts, my medical training silenced it all. They preached to us in combat medic school how our muscle memory will be the biggest asset. One incident after another has proven that to be true,” Rodriguez-Munns said.
Wilson said the injured person was “lying on the side of the road with his feet dangling off the curb.”
She jumped out of the vehicle and ran to help. Wilson, a public affairs specialist by trade in the Army National Guard, is usually the one who writes articles about others who have reacted in moments of crisis.
“My first thought was, ‘This looks bad.’ He didn't appear to be moving at all, and he wasn't even entirely out of the road. When Rodriguez decided to stop, I immediately thought to myself, ‘One of us needs to go with her, she may need a hand or need someone to handle speaking with dispatch while she's working,’” Wilson said. “I don't have any advanced medical training to speak of, only the basic Combat Lifesaving Skills we all learn as Soldiers, but I like to think my military training and experience has prepared me to respond appropriately in a crisis. I knew Rodriguez used to be a combat medic, so when I jumped out of the vehicle after her I knew my role was going to be, ‘Listen to Rodriguez, do whatever she needs me to do in this moment.’”
Wilson contacted the injured person’s loved ones and informed them of what had happened and how he was doing. She remained in contact with them until he was loaded onto the ambulance to go to the hospital.
The Army has a saying, “Train as you fight.” Soldiers learn each new skill in a classroom and then in a practical and field setting. They learn the theory, then practice that skill. Then, they train in that skill until it becomes muscle memory. Every skill gained in the Army is an instinct.
“A calmness always comes over me when I finally make boots on the ground at a scene, and almost like I'm a robot, my body and my brain start moving through the motions: scene safety, H-ABC's, head-to-toe assessment; the combat medic's bread and butter. I'm proud that my instincts did not fail me,” Rodriguez-Munns said about her training.
Wilson added, “I think my military training helped me to keep my emotions in check and remain focused on what needed to happen in that moment. I'm a big worrier by nature, but over the years I've learned that when emergencies happen, I've developed this ability to flip a switch subconsciously.”
Rodriguez-Munns also noted, “Combat Medic is now my secondary MOS and … that means I don't get as many reps or practice in as I did my first six years of my military career. I would not have thought coming onto this mission as a public affairs specialist that an opportunity would arise where I'd have to step back into the roll of a combat medic at the capacity in which this incident did, but I am so happy that I was able to be the first intervention in the pedestrians line of care and offer medical aid sooner rather than later.”
Wilson adds, “I think being in the Army helped my reaction to the accident in a few ways. It's taught me to be more observant and notice a problem or situation, sure. But, I think one of the most important things I've learned in the Army overall is that everything can be broken down into steps. If you're able to look at an emergency and instinctively break it down in terms of, ‘Here's what needs to happen first,’ I think it helps to keep you from panicking.”
Wilson and Rodriguez-Munns worked well together. They exemplified the teamwork expected of all service members.
“I am proud of my counterpart Staff Sgt. Wilson. She's not a medical professional, but she still took off with me and was willing to help in more ways than one. Her ‘reaction to contact’ was something straight out of the Soldier's creed. She was a very valuable team member during this interaction, and her help allowed me to offer my full attention to the patient,” Rodriguez-Munns said of her teammate.
Wilson added, “For maybe the first time in my life, I'm grateful for a traffic jam. We only ended up going that way due to the GPS showing us a detour, and it meant we were able to be there to help the victim.”
She also said she is grateful to have reached his family.
“I couldn't imagine how worried they would have been when they tried to call, and he didn't answer because his phone got broken in the accident,” Wilson said. “His mom actually contacted me later that night to let me know he'd gotten discharged from the hospital to go home. She told me he had been asking her over and over to let us know he was okay, and to tell us how grateful he was for our help. It really warmed my heart that she took the time to send us an update ... I teared up a bit, honestly. In the moment, it didn't feel like we did all that much. We reacted like you'd hope anybody would, seeing someone in need. But learning that it meant that much to him felt really good.”