AFDW Airman saves life, credits AF training

Published March 28, 2013
By Michael P. Kleiman
Air Force District of Washington Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- While shopping at a local hardware store, an Air Force District of Washington Airman happened to be at the right place, at the right time, when a fellow shopper suffered cardiac arrest March 16.

Senior Master Sgt. Marvin D. Compton, AFDW Command Staff superintendent, heard an individual fall to the hard floor following a subsequent commotion in the next aisle. After he pushed through the crowd of onlookers his military training kicked in and he took action.

Once through the crowd, the 24-year career Airman knelt down over the helpless adult male. Compton performed CPR for 12 minutes. During the crisis, Compton instructed the store manager to call 911 and requested an automated external defibrillator. The local 911 emergency response officials on the phone directed Compton to continue administering CPR until medical help arrived.

"I could see the panic and the fear in his wife's eyes, as she was telling me not to let him die," Compton said. "The life-and-death situation brought a new reality of life to me."

Compton continued chest compressions and multiple breaths to clear the individual's airway as the man drifted in and out of consciousness. Within minutes, local emergency responders arrived on scene and Compton said a prayer out loud prior to transitioning the rescue effort to them.

"Although I had practiced CPR on a mannequin during numerous Air Force self-aid buddy care courses, nothing can compare to seeing a real human's face and eyes staring back at you gasping for their life," Compton said. "I am thankful to the Air Force for all the CPR training I received."

Once the emergency responders took over the fallen man's care, Compton, a native of Belton, Texas, anonymously slipped through the crowd thanking God for allowing him to save a fellow human's life. He departed to the store parking lot too exhausted to drive.

Four days later, Compton contacted the hardware store manager for an update on the customer. The manager said the man was doing fine, and his wife wanted to thank the NCO, since the only reason her husband was alive was due to his CPR efforts. She will have the chance to thank Compton when he participates in the presentation of a free riding lawnmower by the store to her family.

"Since I have known Compton the past couple of years, he has always sought to help others and never sought credit for doing so. He is a living example, through his words and deeds, of the Air Force's core value of 'Service Before Self'," said Col. David DuHadway, director, Smart Operations, AFDW. "His selfless action in helping his fellow man in a life-and-death situation speaks volumes about the person he is."
Compton is no stranger to life-saving events. In 2006, while on leave, he and his wife were driving back to their home in San Antonio, Texas, when they observed a vehicle on the opposite side of the highway flipped over. With his adrenaline kicking in, Compton immediately stopped his car to aid the imperiled driver. He discovered the driver had diabetes, so Compton obtained food and drink to get the driver back to normal.

"I am not a hero, but a servant to help others anyplace and anytime," Compton said. "It is who I am."