Clearwater, Fl Native Corpsman Saves a Life

27 September 2023

From Lance Cpl. Joshua Kumakaw

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — A U.S. Navy corpsman is being hailed as a hero after saving someone's life while on liberty.

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On September 15, 2023, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Clay Campbell, a corpsman with 2d battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, and a Clearwater, Florida native, was recognized and awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his outstanding bravery while on liberty.

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col Jonathan Landers, battalion commander of 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, commends Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Clay Campbell, a field medical technician with 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, for his action on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, September 15, 2023. Campbell was awarded and recognized for providing medical care to a young woman having a seizure until medics arrived on scene, ultimately saving her life. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col Jonathan Landers, battalion commander of 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, awards a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Clay Campbell, a field medical technician with 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, September 15, 2023. Campbell was awarded and recognized for providing medical care to a young woman having a seizure until medics arrived on scene, ultimately saving her life. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

U.S. Marines with 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division stand in formation during an award ceremony on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, September 15, 2023. U.S. Navy HM3 Clay Campbell, a field medical technician with 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, was awarded and recognized for providing medical care to a young woman having a seizure until medics arrived on scene, ultimately saving her life. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Clay Campbell, a field medical technician with 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, poses for a photo on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, September 15, 2023. Campbell was awarded and recognized for providing medical care to a young woman having a seizure until medics arrived on scene, ultimately saving her life. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Christian Appleman, sergeant major of 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, reads a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Clay Campbell, a field medical technician with 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, September 15, 2023. Campbell was awarded and recognized for providing medical care to a young woman having a seizure until medics arrived on scene, ultimately saving her life. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

Campbell was out with friends at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, during Independence Day weekend when he noticed something unusual.

"We were out in the water when I noticed a woman behaving strangely," Campbell explained. "She began fluttering and lifting her arm as if pumping her fist."

Campbell quickly recognized the woman was having a seizure and rushed her to shore, where he immediately began to perform life-saving procedures.

"I wasn't thinking, I was just reacting," said Campbell. "I put her in the recovery position and did a modified jaw thrust maneuver."

After what felt like a lifetime, emergency services arrived to take the woman to a local hospital. Campbell was thankful for his training as a corpsman that day, which allowed him to maintain his composure and provide aid to the young woman, ultimately saving her life.

"I'm grateful for the skills that I have learned," said Campbell. "You never know when they will come in handy."

Campbell's dedication and strength of service is exemplified by his heroic actions on that summer day. His quick response and professionalism go above and beyond the call of duty, demonstrating his initiative and expertise as a corpsman.

"He's grown exponentially well with his tactical and clinical medical skills," said Petty Officer 1st Class Derek Summers, a corpsman with 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division. "He is always willing to take that initiative whenever necessary."

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