Airman saves seizing Soldier

Published May 3, 2011
By Staff Sgt. Carolyn (Viss) Herrick
Public Affairs

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Airmen are trained to save lives, whether on the battlefield or an emergency.

Not many are ever required to actually use that training, but when one 647th Civil Engineer Squadron operations management Airman saw a need April 15, he stepped in and saved a Soldier beside him.

"I was at a benefit concert for a Bible study I attend," recalled Senior Airman Jesse Cornell, who had barely met the women next to him but knew she was in her mid-30s and in the Army. "We were sitting there, listening to the guy play and sing, and all of a sudden she started seizing pretty badly."

At first, he didn't know what was going on, he said. He assumed there were medical personnel somewhere around, so he sat back, trying not to get in the way of anyone who might assist. But no medics appeared.

"Someone laid her on her back," he said. "I realized right away that wasn't a good idea. She turned blue and quit moving, so I turned her on her side, hit her back to get her tongue out of her airway, got the saliva out of her throat, and she started breathing again. Once I got her breathing again, she passed out completely in my arms. I rubbed her neck, and tried to keep her breathing."

Airman Cornell held her and coached her through breathing for about 15 minutes, until the emergency medical technicians finally got there.

"The only thought in my mind was remembering what I was supposed to do," said the 22-year-old from Columbus, Indiana, who is also a Self Aid and Buddy Care instructor for his squadron. His brother, a firefighter and EMT, always passed a lot of first aid on to him, and his parents, who provide foster care, have also had CPR training. This background, together with what he's learned in the military, prepared him to react quickly and instinctively in a life-threatening situation.

"I just was glad God put me there, because no one else really knew what to do," Airman Cornell said. "If I hadn't been there, they would have left her on her back."

At the time of the concert, when he saved his fellow servicemember's life, he was actually on post-deployment leave, having just returned from Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, where he ran a traditional Army tactical operations center.

It was the first one the Air Force had ever stood up, and the Airman with three years of military experience was in charge of monitoring intelligence, manning, and convoy routes, and keeping information flowing between the operations center and the commander.

"Being in Afghanistan, you see how fragile life is anyway," Airman Cornell said. "But then, I saw how fragile it is and how quickly it can end even when you're doing the right thing and you're in a good situation."

Now, more than ever, he sees the practicality in knowing SABC and being able to use it at a moment's notice. The fact that his actions saved a fellow servicemember is cool, but was not a determining factor when he had to decide whether or not to act.

"I have a passion for it anyway," Airman Cornell said. "I would've done the same thing no matter who it was."

He was glad when he received a follow-up e-mail from the director of the hospitality house saying the Soldier he saved was doing well, but no one he works with regularly was a bit surprised to learn he had been a hero to her.

"It was awesome to hear, but I know that's the type of person he is," said Tech. Sgt. Tiffany Griego, 647th CES operations management inspection chief, who supervised him prior to his deployment. "He's a hard worker, definitely one of the best Airmen I've ever worked with."

Sending him out the door to Afghanistan was hard, but she knew he was ready, and he would be OK, she said. He even reenlisted overseas.

"You give him a task, and he's going to give everything he can for that tasking, and make sure it's complete," said the NCO, who said she never has to worry about Airman Cornell. "We're all trained in SABC, but when a situation presents itself everyone isn't able to react and respond immediately; he was able to do that."

"I believe he is the way he is because of his faith," she said. "I know he's totally reliant upon God daily, and I believe that God assists him in everything. He'll go far in whatever he decides to do. If he sets his mind to do it, he'll do it."