Rendering aid on Valentine's Day

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Veronica Ward
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  A cadet couple on their way back from dinner halted their evening to render aid to a soldier who was involved in a car accident on the corner of Academy and Dublin at approximately 8:45 p.m. Feb. 14.

Cadet Third Class Sarenna Ortiz, CS-06, and Cadet Third Class Luis Morales, CS-35, were returning to the Academy when they saw an accident between two cars, Ortiz said.

"The car in front of us was slowly pulling over and it was obvious that it had been in an accident," she said. "The driver was a female and we made sure she was okay. At this time the male driver, who was the occupant of the other car involved in the accident, came running over slightly hysterically. He had a large gash on his head and was bleeding pretty heavily."

The couple sat with the soldier on the curb, keeping him warm and applying pressure to his wound while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Ortiz, who was on the phone with an emergency dispatcher, was told to keep him calm and assured them that help was on the way. Several other people pulled over to help, including two Army senior NCOs.

"We both thought that it was a freshman since it was 100's weekend and they were allowed to be out in ABUs,"Ortiz stated. "Our first instinct was to take care of them. I mean that's our job. As sophmores we are the direct supervisors of the freshmen and we feel responsible for them. When we figured out that he wasn't a cadet, we still felt a sense of responsibility towards him as our brother-in-arms."

"I saw that people were in trouble and it was instinct to try and help them out," Morales said. "I learned to help others in need through my upbringing and my prior enlisted career."

The couple used self-aid and buddy care skills learned as cadets, which helped them to stay calm and keep their heads straight, Ortiz said.

"The Academy has taught me to take care of my people and my brethren," He said. "As an officer, taking care of your people couldn't be more important. People first, mission always."

Ortiz is a double major in Behavioral Science and Legal Studies who hopes to eventually work in the mental health field as a psychologist. Morales majors in Management and hopes to go on to pilot training and fly fighter aircraft or helicopters.