On the night of October 27, 2023, Jared Simms, an active-duty Marine, was brutally attacked, robbed, and stabbed in Waikiki, Hawaii.
Active-duty U.S. Army Pacific Soldier Spc. Tanner Combs encountered Simms after the attack and immediately transported him to the nearby hospital.
"My wife and I was going to dinner, there was a man that walked up, he asked if we could call a doctor, an ambulance, or 911, he had blood all over his shirt," said Combs.
Simms was looking around the parking lot for his keys and wallet when Combs pulled his car next to him and told him to get in. Combs quickly put on his hazard lights, started beeping his horn to get pedestrians out of the way, and drove to the nearest hospital. Combs tried to drive fast and safely while his son was in the backseat.
When Combs saw Simms losing blood, he gave his son's blanket to Simms to apply pressure to his chest. He knew that time was against him and needed to get Simms to the hospital quickly.
Once they reached the hospital, Combs and his wife could not find the emergency room. Combs thought, "If, I could just get him in the hospital, someone could help him."
Combs he rushed out of the car carrying Simms in his arms, only to be told by The Queen's Medical Center Staff that he needed to find the emergency room.
While carrying Simms back to the car, his wife jumped in the driver's seat to find the emergency room. Combs started to panic, watching Simms lose consciousness.
Finally, arriving at The Queen's Medical Center ER, he carried Simms upstairs and never saw him again.
"I couldn't have done it without my wife, that's for sure. We hope that Soldiers act in similar way and try to do the right thing if a similar situation were to arise," Spc. Combs.
Combs and his wife were recognized for their quick thinking and actions during a ceremony presided over by USARPAC Deputy Commanding General Lt. Gen. James B. Jarrard on March 20, 2024, at Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
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