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Kennedy Docs Act Fast, Save Life

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS030911-02

Release Date: 9/11/2003 8:39:00 PM

By Journalist 2nd Class Leah N. Smith, USS John F. Kennedy Public Affairs

ABOARD USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (NNS) -- Naval corpsmen receive training that prepares them for the uncertainty and inherent dangers of military life.

A recent accident aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) tested that comprehensive training, when Kennedy corpsmen rescued a contractor who fell more than 20 feet into a weapons magazine.

"I thought, 'seventh deck, this could be bad,'" said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Rebecca Hunt of Bath, Maine. "I realized it was very serious as soon as I saw the patient and all of the blood everywhere."

Hospitalman Patrick A. Ruddock said once he realized the severity of the situation, his adrenaline began to pump, his emotions cut off, and all of his training took hold.

"You know things like this can happen, but since it's so rare, it's in the back of your mind," Ruddock said. "The first thing going through my head was that it was a heat-related injury.

"When we got down there and saw all the blood," he continued, "I was shocked. It was the worst-case scenario."

Not only was the patient in serious condition, but the circumstances surrounding the accident were less than ideal, according to Cmdr. Charles Ciccone, the senior medical officer aboard. He described the hatch as approximately 30 inches in diameter, leaving rescuers very little wiggle room. They also faced a 90-degree vertical drop and a 90-degree climb to bring the patient out of the space.

"We were practically working right on top of him," Ciccone said. "We put ourselves at personal risk of severe injury."

Ruddock said the teamwork of the medical response team determined the fate of the contractor.

"We knew what had to be done. All of our training and us working together, cohesively, is what saved this man's life," he said.

Ciccone believes the team reached the man within the "golden-hour" of trauma, saving the contractor's life. He described the "golden-hour" as the hour immediately following a serious trauma.

"If you can start treatment, resuscitation and transport within that time, it significantly increases the chances of survival. We did it right, and we did it timely," he said.

Both Ruddock and Hunt agree, and add that the gratification that goes along with knowing they saved someone's life humbles them.

"Just to know when called upon I was able to perform in that type of situation is better than any award," said Hunt.

Teamwork, dedication and training proved instrumental to a successful safety record aboard Kennedy during the ship's nine-month overhaul. According to Ciccone, these values once again triumphed over dangerous conditions in the saving of one man's life.