GW Sailors Aid Local Man at Train Station

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- Two USS George Washington (GW) (CVN 73) Sailors are being hailed as heroes after their quick thinking helped save the life of a Japanese citizen.

Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Henry Caballero and Aviation Electrician's Mate 1st Class James Brice were returning to Yokosuka Dec. 19 after having dinner at a restaurant in Harajuku. While changing trains at Shinagawa Station at they noticed a man lose his balance and fall off the platform onto the track below.

"The man was dressed in white, and I guess I saw it out of the corner of my eye. As soon as I saw him go off the platform, I saw Caballero jump down there to help so I followed him," said Brice. "He was already in the process of picking the man up and I saw a white light [from an approaching train] in the distance."

Passengers on the train platform then helped pull the three men back onto the platform.

"I felt pretty normal about it," said Caballero. "I wouldn't call us heroes—I think we were just human beings helping another human being."

Caballero, assigned to the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD), previously served in Japan for seven years. After being stationed in Hawaii for three years, he is back in Yokosuka as a crew member of GW. Brice, also assigned to AIMD, is a former USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Sailor and has served in Japan since 1999.

"I think it's good when Sailors are recognized for having a positive effect on the society, so it feels good to be a part of that." said Cabellero.

George Washington returned to Fleet Activities Yokosuka following its first underway as the Navy's only permanently forward deployed aircraft carrier Nov. 21, and will undergo its first Yokosuka-based ship's restricted availability (SRA) in early 2009.

For more news from USS George Washington (CVN 73), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn73/.