SAVANNAH, Ga. - Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mike Carman, brigade aviation mission survivability officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade along with his sons Miguel and Enrique were recognized for their efforts which potentially saved a young woman's life during an award ceremony on Hunter Army Airfield April 9.
Carman, an Indianapolis native and his sons were in Atlanta Feb. 14 for a soccer tournament the boys were participating in. They had no idea they would be participants in a heroic effort to save a young woman's life.
The Family witnessed a car accident in the middle of a large commercial area surrounded by stores and restaurants. A teenage girl who was not wearing her seatbelt was thrown from the vehicle during a collision. Her older sister was driving the car and her father was in an adjacent vehicle. The girl had multiple lacerations on her face and was losing a lot of blood.
"We immediately stopped and saw the father and sister running around and very emotional," Carman said. "They saw their daughter/sister who was unresponsive and bleeding and they panicked."
Meanwhile, Carman and his two sons kept their cool and began treating the victim. Carman immediately drew upon his combat lifesaver training and said he checked the ABC's, airway, bleeding and circulation.
"At first I didn't know what to do," said 10-year-old Enrique Carman. "Then my brother Miguel told me to get the first aid kit so I did and handed it to my dad."
Enrique said he learned a valuable lesson from the experience.
"There were a lot of people just standing around doing nothing and I didn't think that was right," Enrique said. "I think the lesson I learned was don't just stand around, take action."
His 13-year-old brother Miguel, played an instrumental role in that he called 911 immediately and followed the directions from his father.
"I just listened to my dad's orders because it was obvious he knew what he was doing," Miguel said humbly. "I'm just glad we could help out."
Carman said he was extremely proud of his two boys.
"Anybody wearing this uniform would do the exact same thing," Carman said. "To see two young men get involved in a situation and provide aid to someone who is in desperate need of it while a lot of folks just stood there watching says a lot about their character. I could not be more proud."
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