It’s no secret that U.S. Marine Corps drill instructors have a profound impact on the lives of recruits… but sometimes, that influence can be literally life-saving.
Just days ago, Sgt. Quaylain Brown put his experience as a former Navy corpsman and nursing student to good use when a trainee under his supervision collapsed without warning.
Brown serves as a drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, one of the best known training locations for new members of the Corps.
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The drill instructor was overseeing incentive training — basically, exercise as motivation — when a nearby recruit named Callum Clougher dropped to his hands and knees.
According to the veterans news website Task and Purpose, Brown had deployed overseas previously as a member of the Navy. Even though he put his medical skills to use during that deployment, he hadn’t directly saved a life.
That changed on July 24, when Clougher started choking, grasping desperately as his throat and unable to breath.
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Brown rushed to the recruit and wrapped his arms around him. Using upward thrusts, the DI gave Clougher the Heimlich maneuver.
The instructor’s simple but effective actions dislodged a foreign object from the recruit’s throat.
“I had gotten a local anesthetic (from a dental procedure)… so I couldn’t feel my face,” the recruit explained after the incident. He had reportedly been eating at the time. “That’s why I started choking, sir. … It was scary. … I started seeing black dots.”
Saving a recruit from choking may not be as dramatic as storming a beach, but the DI’s fast actions earned him the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
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“These recruits are entrusted to my care,” Brown said. “I’ve always wanted to influence the future of the Corps. It’s an honor.”
One recruit at a time, he’s giving that future a chance.
Taking action during times of chaos is what Marines do best… and that deserves to be recognized and applauded, no matter where it occurs.
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