Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Patrick Gravel was recognized Sept. 15 by the Portsmouth Police Department for assisting the victim of a car crash last year.

Gravel is a staff member of the Healthcare Simulation and BioSkills Training Center at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP).

The chief of police, Chief Tonya D. Chapman, presented an award certificate to Gravel during a ceremony at police headquarters. Gravel was recognized for his actions as part of the Portsmouth Police Department's annual awards program. During the ceremony, Chapman praised Gravel for his actions and concern for those at the scene of the crash.

Although the crash occurred in December, Gravel recalled the scene vividly.

"I was taking my son back to school after a doctor's appointment at NMCP," Gravel said. "As I was passing through an intersection, the light was turning yellow. The truck behind me ran the light on red and hit a sedan that was entering the intersection. She hit the sedan just right and flipped her truck three or four times. I saw it all in my rear-view mirror."

Gravel immediately dialed dispatch, a number he's familiar with since his wife is a part-time paramedic for the city of Portsmouth, and reported the incident as he turned his car around. By the time he got there, Logistics Specialist 1st Class Erich Klain was already out of his vehicle and beginning to pull the driver of the truck out of hers.

"The truck was on its side, so I helped him and we moved her away from the vehicle," Gravel said. "I told him to stay with her so I could check on the occupants of the car. Those in the car had minor injuries and were mostly shaken up, so I came back to her and checked her vitals. I checked her pulse, and checked her pupillary response with the flashlight on my cell phone. I kept her awake since I suspected she had a concussion."

As a volunteer firefighter/emergency medical technician for the city of Carrollton and with three deployments to Iraq, Gravel said it wasn't that unusual to see a car on its side, and his corpsman and EMT training kicked in.

"When the paramedics arrived, I knew them since my wife is a firefighter/paramedic for the city of Portsmouth and Isle of Wight County," Gravel recalled. "I told them her vital signs and status. I assisted with putting her on the backboard, because I'm also a volunteer firefighter/EMT in Carrollton, and assisted with getting her loaded up."

Gravel is humble about the recognition, and thought he was being summoned to court as a witness when he got the call about the award.

"I'm a little awestruck at the whole thing," Gravel said. "It doesn't feel like I did that much, in my opinion. I did my job. I would hope that someone would stop for my wife if something happened to her. As an EMT, I do this every day; as a corpsman, I do this every day, so for them to honor me was a shock and a surprise. I do this because I love my job. I love being a Sailor and I love taking care of people."

Gravel's dream of serving in the Navy began when he was six years old.

"I can remember when my dad retired after a 20-year career as an electrician's mate," he said. "However, there are seven corpsmen in my family, including myself and my wife. Everyone else is either retired or separated."

As Gravel celebrates his 13th anniversary of service, his resume speaks volumes.

His tours to Iraq include treating patients in casualty evacuation in 2005, deploying with a Marine light armored reconnaissance battalion in 2006, and deploying with a Marine wing support squadron in 2009. He also deployed aboard hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) in 2010 to assist with victims of the earthquake in Haiti, as well as last year during Continuing Promise 2015.

Gravel's current assignment in the Simulation Center is to teach HM First, a course for corpsmen who are transferring to operational units, and the Tactical Combat Casualty Course which is for corpsmen who are preparing to deploy in support of combat operations.

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