U.S. Army Soldiers save life of Latvian man

By Capt. Matthew St. Clair, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Public AffairsApril 15, 2019

U.S. Army Soldiers Save Latvian Man's Life
Capt. Logan Gorges and Staff Sgt. Stephen Yang, Soldiers from 2-1 General Aviation Support Battalion, assigned to Task Force Nightmare North, 3-1 Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division,
acted quickly to save ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)
VIEW ORIGINAL

LIELVARDE AIRBASE, Latvia -- Capt. Logan Gorges and Staff Sgt. Stephen Yang, both from 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, assigned to Task Force Nightmare North, 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st CAB, 1st Inf. Div., acted quickly to save an elderly Latvian man's life.

While traveling by train from Lielvarde Airbase to Riga March 25, Yang, an Army Medic, noticed an elderly man beginning to fall out of his seat. Yang caught the man, lowered him to the ground, and alerted Gorges - the 2nd GSAB flight surgeon - who was also on the train. Gorges quickly diagnosed that the man was having a seizure and began medical treatment.

"We called 113 (Latvian emergency medical phone number) and then worked with the train conductor to try and get the patient to the hospital right away," Gorges said. "The seizure lasted about 11 minutes, which was very serious." Gorges said a typical seizure lasts between 30 seconds and five minutes.

Yang and Gorges provided medical attention by monitoring breathing, heartrate and positioning the man safely to minimize his risk of choking. The man regained consciousness and was transferred to local emergency medical services in Riga.

As Army medical personnel, Gorges and Yang train for medical emergencies routinely.

"I think in our position, it was a little bit easier for us to understand the process of what was going on," Gorges said. "We both have pretty extensive medical training and a lot of experience."

The 2-1 GSAB and 3-1 AHB, 1st CAB, 1st Inf. Div., are currently on a rotation in Europe as part of the Atlantic Resolve mission.

Related Links:

Army.mil: Soldiers