On Oct. 6, 2024, three U.S Marines and one U.S Navy Sailor were in a taxi northbound on the Okinawa Expressway heading back to Camp Schwab, when their driver suddenly stopped due to a vehicle blocking the road. The vehicle was involved in a crash and inside was a local resident. Without hesitation, the group of four rushed to assist.
“It was just all instinct. Not once did I see a single one of us hesitate,” Cpl. Austin Potter
The trucks front end was crushed, and the vehicle remained disabled blocking both lanes on the expressway. The four service members quickly sprang into action, knowing someone’s life was on the line.
U.S. Marine Cpl. Austin Potter, a Falling Waters, W. Va. native; Lance Cpl. Stephen Estrada, a Santa Ana, Calif. native; Lance Cpl. Samuel Calhoun, an Alvord, Texas native; and U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jett Garcia, a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. native, are all forward deployed with 4th Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division as part of the Unit Deployment Program.
The service members quickly assessed their surroundings. Estrada noticed a shovel in the bed of the truck and attempted to use it to pry open the door. When the service members noticed the door wouldn’t open, Calhoun broke the car door’s window and Potter was able to remove the driver swiftly and safely from the vehicle.
After assessing the driver’s condition and ensuring he was stabilized, Estrada and Garcia moved the driver away from the vehicle into a safer area until paramedics arrived on scene to take the individual to a nearby hospital.
Photo by Cpl. Michael Taggart
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“I think without our training, I would have been a nervous wreck,” said Potter. “You can sit down and look at a book, but going through hands-on training makes a difference.”
The Marine Corps provides infantry units basic casualty and combat care training, preparing them to provide aid to injured service members in combat situations. Marines and Sailors who attend the course learn to provide life-sustainment care similar to what a U.S. Navy Corpsman would administer until the causality can be treated by a medical professional.
Even after the driver was evacuated, the service members’ concern for the individual did not subside.
“We have no idea if that man is ok, but I hope he is,” said Potter. “We really do.”
When informed of the situation, their unit leadership stated the Marines’ and Sailor’s actions clearly reflect their character as selfless professionals and their willingness to do the right thing at great cost to themselves.
“Cpl. Potter has always been a Marine of upstanding moral character and strives to do his best day in and day out. He has a lot of personal pride in being a Marine and he exhibits it by doing his utmost in everything he does,” 1st Sgt. Thomas Ochoa, a company first sergeant with 4th Marine Regiment
