Super Airman saves the day Published Jan. 10, 2008 By 2nd Lt. Jennifer Richard Nellis AFB Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Dec. 6 started off as an ordinary day for one young crew chief from the Eagle aircraft maintenance unit. He was busy helping a neighbor move out, with thoughts of life-or-death matters far from his mind. The sound of gunfire down the street changed all that. Senior Airman Cory Strickler heard gunshots followed by a call for help. He ran into his home to find his roommate with multiple gunshot wounds from an attempted robbery. Seeing that his roommate had been shot once in the leg and once in the stomach, Airman Strickler applied what he had learned in self-aid buddy care training, binding the wounds and preventing blood loss that may have otherwise taken his roommate's life. "As soon as I got to him, I just knew what to do," Airman Strickler said. Airman Strickler took off his shirt to wrap his roommate's leg wound, which was bleeding more than the stomach. He kept the leg elevated and applied pressure to it while applying pressure to the stomach wound with his other hand. Meanwhile, another friend on-scene called 9-1-1, and emergency medical technicians were dispatched. In the time it took for EMTs to respond, Airman Strickler's roommate began going into shock. "I told one of the individuals standing behind me to take my spot applying pressure while I ran to my car to get a blanket to keep him warm," Airman Strickler said. Airman Strickler covered his roommate with the blanket and continued to treat the wounds until the emergency personnel arrived. The ambulance arrived and carried Airman Strickler's roommate to the hospital, where he underwent six hours of surgery. Airman Strickler rushed to the hospital and stayed there through the night, updating his roommate's parents on his condition. Airman Strickler's roommate was released from the hospital two weeks later. Doctors found that a bullet had chipped the victim's pelvis and missed the femoral artery by less than half an inch. "I was pretty worried the whole time," Airman Strickler said. "It was especially hard because I was dealing with my roommate's parents as well, relaying information while he was in the hospital." Airman Strickler downplays the role he played in saving his roommate's life. "Whenever something like that happens, you just do it. I think anyone would have helped somebody like I did," he said. "I'm just glad I was there to help." When he returned to work a few days later, Airman Strickler did not speak about the shooting. His supervisors only found out about the incident from the Airman's co-workers. "I actually had a friend of Cory's come in and say, 'Did you hear about what Cory did?' Then I sat Cory down and got his point of view," said his supervisor, Tech. Sgt. Chris Nolan, 57th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aircraft section chief. While Airman Strickler remains humble about what he did, his supervisors recognize the magnitude of his heroic actions. "I'm a proud supervisor to have an individual like Cory working for me," Sergeant Nolan said. "It is a sign of the caliber of the people we have in the Air Force." Currently there are no suspects and no leads in the case, said Jesse Prieto, North Las Vegas Police Department detective. Dec. 6 is a day that neither Airman Strickler nor his roommate will likely forget. When the seemingly ordinary day took a near-fatal turn, Airman Strickler came to the rescue and helped save his roommate's life.
