Kansas National Guard Airman Recognized for Saving a Life

TOPEKA, Kan. - One of the benefits of joining the Kansas National Guard is the skills learned may be useful in the civilian world. While Tech. Sgt. Ryan Ewing's skills as a boom operator in a KC-135 refueling tanker jet may not have wide application in his civilian role as a firefighter-emergency medical technician, he was able to make use of other skills he learned in the National Guard - skills instrumental in saving a life.

As a member of the 117th Air Refueling Squadron, 190th Air Refueling Wing, Ewing was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for annual simulation training at General Mitchell Air Force Base. He was heading out of his hotel for an evening of relaxation when he heard a scream from the lobby.

"I was coming down the elevator to head to dinner and the baseball game with my crew and I heard a shout from the other side of the wall," said Ewing, an eight-year Kansas Air National Guard member. "I looked around the corner and saw a man on the ground. I walked over and didn't feel a pulse and he wasn't breathing."

That's when the medical skills he learned in the Kansas National Guard kicked in.

"I can thank the military for helping me get my initial EMT and CPR training that I have continued to utilize in the civilian sector as a firefighter," said Ewing. "I started CPR. The hotel luckily had an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and we were able to use it on the patient."

When the local emergency medical service arrived 10 minutes later, the man had a pulse and was breathing. Ewing went on with his evening.

"I didn't say much about it because this happens often in the fire service, so this isn't something out of the ordinary for me," said Ewing.

But that wasn't the case for the others in his group.

"My crew was shocked, like, 'You just did CPR and you're coming out to dinner and baseball?'"

While Ewing didn't think much about it, his actions did not go unnoticed. On Sept. 26, Maj. Gen. Michael Venerdi, the adjutant general, presented the Kansas Medal of Excellence to Ewing for his lifesaving actions.

According to the Kansas National Guard Awards, Decorations and Honors Program, to earn this award, a recipient "must distinguish himself for clearly exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility."

"Technical Sergeant Ewing's heroic actions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, demonstrate the very best of the Air Force Core Value," said Col. Wes Broxterman, commander, 190th Operations Group. "By putting the needs of another before his own and taking swift action to save a life, he has shown that he is not only an exceptional boom operator, but a guardian of our community and a true embodiment of the values we hold dear."

"By its definition, Technical Sergeant Ewing is more than deserving of this recognition," said Venerdi. "His quick actions not only saved the life of that individual but has also inspired all of us to rise to the occasion when it matters most."