The SABC instinct

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Scott Poe
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  "My son started screaming, 'Oh my gosh Daddy, oh my gosh,'" said Tech. Sgt. Terry Gaylord, a 53rd Airlift Squadron evaluator engineer, as he and his son witnessed a motorcyclist crash into the back of another vehicle. "I put my truck in park and told the kids to stay in the truck; I ran across the road and found the injured motorcyclist in a ditch face down in a few inches of water."

Gaylord reacted on impulse and the urge to help someone in need of medical attention.

"There was no thought process as I helped the injured biker; it was instinct," said Gaylord. "I knew I wasn't supposed to move him in case of a spinal injury, but I had to get his head out of the water."

Self-aid buddy care might be a simple computer-based training course for some, but for others it has saved lives. If Gaylord had not lifted the biker's head up out of the water, he probably would have drowned before emergency medical technicians could assist.

After Gaylord performed the skills he was trained to use, the biker gained consciousness and was able to lift his own head until the Cabot EMT arrived and transported him to the hospital.

SABC was utilized not only by Gaylord to help a wingman, but also by three others with a similar incident that occurred a few weeks prior.

Three Airmen also used their knowledge of SABC to aid another motorcyclist who had wrecked. The biker sustained massive injuries to his legs. Thinking fast, the Airmen used the SABC training they learned.

"I could see all the dust and the dirt flying from where he hit the ditch," said Airman 1st Class Benjamin Berry, a 50th Airlift Squadron loadmaster. "My initial reaction was to call 911. I knew I needed to make sure this guy was alive; make sure he's breathing and not let him move."

Airman Anthony Miller, a 50th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, was with Berry and assisted in saving the motorcyclist's life.

Miller unsnapped the motorcyclist's helmet so he could breathe, stabilizing and ensuring his head didn't move because of what he had been taught through SABC. He did not want to risk spinal injury.

Senior Airman Mitchell Taylor, a 41st Airlift Squadron loadmaster, also witnessed the event and helped Berry and Miller perform SABC on the victim.

"Honestly, I kind of just went into tunnel vision when I showed up," said Taylor. "It was actually just a lot of reaction, and I didn't really have a whole lot of time to think about what was happening. The first thing that came to mind was the SABC that was needed to make sure this guy stayed alive."

Every Airman that assisted the victim attributed the quick thinking and knowledge the SABC training and the Air Force instilled in them.

"Before SABC, I probably would not have known what to do," said Miller. "I probably would have freaked out. I would have taken his helmet off. I would have probably moved his body, which SABC teaches us not to do."

Self-aid buddy care is not just for deployments or for combat injuries, it can be used in everyday life. SABC training kept the Airmen calm and focused on what they needed to do and ultimately aided them in saving the lives of two individuals.