Thomas Gentry; Navy corpsman saving the world
Bobo sends us a link to the story of Thomas Gentry, a Navy corpsman senior petty officer who happened upon a damsel in distress. He was driving from Virginia Beach to Norfolk when he almost ran into a Nissan that had quit working in the center lane of the freeway. On his motorcycle, he swerved and missed the vehicle, but he kept an eye on it in his mirror. Gentry witnessed when a Silverado struck it from behind, send the Nissan flying. He turned around and went back to lend aid. When he got to the car, he saw flames and the driver, but the door was jammed. He didn’t notice the two young girls who were also in the car, but he fred the driver as flames were about to consume her;
He spent the next few minutes giving the woman oxygen with the help of a petty officer first class who had stopped to help. Once an ambulance arrived, medics tended to the passenger and a toddler who had been in the back, according to police. The man, who had initially been unconscious, was hysterical.
Gentry heard through the fire department that there had been an infant in the back seat. News reports later confirmed that she died.
Attorney Jon Babineau identified the woman in the car as LaTisha Pearl. She was in critical condition Tuesday evening at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, according to spokeswoman Danya Bushey.
[…]
“I want the family to know I’m praying for them,” he said. “It’s just been a challenge to know there was a baby in that car and there’s nothing you can do.”
Category: Navy
FIRST!
You did all you could and more Senior Chief. Bravo Zulu and Semper Fi.
My thoughts are with the family and you Shipmate.
Amen.
Well done, Senior Chief. You saved those you could.
BZ to the Senior Chief and the PO1 that were on the scene!
There is not a star above his anchor, he is a chief, not a senior chief…the report said he was a “senior petty officer”..not a senior chief!
Well if there isn’t I bet there soon will be.
BZ Senior Chief, most would have kept going. BZ to the PO1 as well.
“Been a challenge” learning that there was a baby in the car. I know everything I need to know about this man, not only from his heroic act but those words, “Been a challenge.”
Yep, those words are indicative of the character of the man.
It’s never easy when it goes south on you, there’s always that lingering doubt that you truly did everything you could.
The reality is that he did everything right and everything he could. It kept a single tragedy from being an entire family tragedy. While that doesn’t always feel like it’s enough it is sometimes all we get.
What’s that I see on your collar device, Senior Chief? What? Can it be? Yet another star? I think so. Yes, yes it is.
Well done, Doc.
Concur. Hopefully he’ll also get a Navy and Marine Corps Medal to go along with that well-deserved promotion to E-9.
From the insignia on his uniform in his photo above, it looks like he’s done some time with the Marines as an FMF Corpsman.
‘CORPSMAN – Usually a young, long haired, bearded, Marine-hatin’ Sailor with certain medical skills, who will go through the very gates of Hell to get to a wounded Marine.’ Or in this case, to rescue civilians that were in extremis.
Outstanding work, Doc. Very well done indeed.
Semper Fidelis.
Did the best you could, take solace in that.
Think of how many who looked and drove by. You took what action you could Senior Chief. Well Done.
I have known Corpsmen to Always do their best.
Unfortunately at times even the best efforts, training and expertise cannot overcome the situation at hand.
I’ll pray for the Master Chief, Petty Officer and the family. May they be blessed with strength to deal with the loss of this young child.