FORT BRAGG, N.C. - It was supposed to be a relaxing day of shopping with his wife for Spc. James Van Dorn.
However, Friday's stormy afternoon would prove to be anything but relaxing.
Van Dorn was about to drop his wife off in front of the T.J. Maxx in Fayetteville when lightning struck.
"I didn't want my wife to have to walk in the rain, but when she heard the lightning strike, she shut the car door and said she wasn't getting out," said Van Dorn, of Westbrook, Maine.
Seconds later, a middle-aged woman screamed the words "Oh my God" over and over again outside Van Dorn's car.
He said, "I knew lightning had struck, but I didn't realize exactly what was going on until I looked out the window. The woman was screaming, so I thought I would see a burning car or something like that."
However, it was a woman, not a car, which had been hit by lightning.
As soon as he realized what had happened, 26-year-old Van Dorn quickly jumped into action. Onlookers yelled for someone to call 911, but only Van Dorn ran to the aid of Rosa Sanchez. Sanchez is also a Soldier at Fort Bragg and a personnel clerk assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 330th Transportation Battalion, 82nd Sustainment Brigade.
"When I got to her, I saw that she was on fire - her hair, her shirt," Van Dorn explained. "It's pouring rain and she was on fire. It just tells you how powerful lightning is. I took off my shirt and put her out as quickly as I could."
That was when Van Dorn noticed something that he said made his heart stop. Underneath Sanchez, 21, were tiny arms and legs. Van Dorn pulled the baby out from underneath his mother fearing the worst.
"He was burned, but he was looking up at me and screaming. My training tells me that is a good sign, so I passed the boy over to another bystander," recalled Van Dorn, an Iraq combat veteran.
Sanchez was unresponsive and not breathing. Van Dorn listened to her heart, which was beating "off the charts."
Van Dorn credits Army training for what he did next. All Soldiers are required to receive Combat Lifesaver Training, which could help save lives on the battlefield. On this day, Van Dorn said, his training would allow him to save the life of a stranger on the street who needed help.
He said, "I started doing CPR to get her breathing. I did chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth."
After a few minutes, Sanchez began breathing on her own, but she then went into shock. That was when two bystanders jumped in to help Van Dorn. One claimed to be an anesthesiologist, and the other was a fellow Soldier, Ryan Wallen, who declined to comment on his role that day and is currently in California for training.
Wallen and Van Dorn immediately applied a jaw thrust to Sanchez. This technique prevented Sanchez from choking on her tongue or clenching her jaw shut.
During all of this, someone called for paramedics, who arrived within five or six minutes.
"It seemed like forever until the firefighters came," Van Dorn remembered. "It was quick though. I want to give them a lot of credit. They did an outstanding job when they got there."
Sanchez and her son are being treated at the North Carolina Jaycees Burn Center at University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill. Sanchez is currently listed in serious condition and 14-month-old Alex is in fair condition.
Lt. Col. Jen Reinkober, commander of the 330th Transportation Bn., said, "Specialist Rosa Sanchez is a hard-working and dedicated Soldier and mother who is a vital member of the 330th Transportation Battalion. She truly epitomizes the meaning of Army strong. The entire chain-of-command wishes her and her son a speedy recovery and wants her to know that we stand behind them during this difficult time."
Van Dorn and the two other good Samaritans are being credited for preventing a tragedy.
Master Sgt. Dominique Michel, Van Dorn's rear detachment first sergeant, said he would not expect anything less from the paratrooper.
"He is an outstanding Soldier and has never disappointed me. He did the right thing as a paratrooper. That's what we do. He did exactly what I would expect from him," said Michel.
However, Van Dorn said he would not let all the attention he is receiving go to his head, even though some people have hailed him, the anesthesiologist and Wallen as heroes.
"A lot of people throw the word hero around, but we just did what we were trained to do. Soldiers might not take combat lifesaving training seriously, but it worked for me. You never know if you will need it for a loved one, a buddy or even a stranger on the street," said Van Dorn.
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