LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- “Pop! Pop! Pop!” Were those fireworks or gunshots?
It’s May 26, 2024; Memorial Day weekend. Tech. Sgt. Aaron McKeithen had just parked in front of his home in Alabama and was idly scrolling on his phone when a vehicle rolled by starting a commotion. Gunshots! McKeithen took cover under his steering wheel. When he thought the scene was safe, he exited his car and witnessed a kid, just 18 years old, with a bullet wound in the back of the head, slumped in the passenger seat of a car. McKeithen instinctively went to rescue the victim, dragging him out of the vehicle to perform CPR. The victim was unresponsive and covered in blood. McKeithen grabbed a shirt from a bystander and pressed it to the wound to prevent severe blood loss then began pumping the victim’s chest as he instructed the bystander, who appeared to be a relative of the victim to provide mouth to mouth stating, “When I say blow, blow.”
McKeithen sustained the victim’s pulse until the paramedics arrived to transfer him to a nearby hospital.
“It all happened so fast,” he recalled. Reflecting on the incident, McKeithen acknowledges risking his life to save a perfect stranger. It’s not unusual for suspects to have returned to the scene to continue the assault. However, McKeithen was only focused on what he could do to help.
How does one prepare to be a hero? For McKeithen, he is certified in Basic Lifesaving Skills (CPR) by the American Red Cross, and ensures he recertifies every two years. Additionally, he completed the MEDIC-X course for basic patient care skills and the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Training Course for lifesaving trauma care in combat environments. McKeithen’s advice to someone who might find themselves in a similar incident, “Stay calm and do your best to help. Remember, the person in need could be someone's loved one—treat them as you would want your loved one to be treated.”