When things go boom in the night, Marines are going to react.
After Lance Cpl. Patrick Sammon had just walked out of a liquor store in northern San Diego late Saturday night when he heard squealing tires and the heavy smash of colliding automobiles behind him in northern San Diego late Saturday night. evening He immediately instinctively sprinted towards the site crash and pulled extracted an unconscious driver from his vehicle moments before it burst into flames.
After getting that man to safety pulling the driver out of harm’s way, Sammon he then returned to assist another man in the second vehicle who'd broken his leg with a severely broken leg from the second vehicle in the crash to safety.
The electrician assigned to Marine Wing Communication Squadron 38, 3rd Marine Air Wing at nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Sammon, who in the Miramar neighborhood told Marine Corps Times he didn’t really think before dashing about the approximate 200 yards to the accident.
"The only thing on my mind was, 'I hope they’re OK'ok," he said. "I didn’t really do anything any other Marine wouldn’t do; I was just at the right place at the right time."
Sammon gained further acclaim with Marines after flashing the ubiquitous "Terminal Lance" sign during an interview with the station. The hand signal, which mimics the crossed rifles under a chevron, is popular with readers of the "Terminal Lance" comic, created by Marine Corps Times contributor represents an embrace of the unique role the Lance Cpl. rank plays in the Corps. It comes from Maximilian Uriarte, creator of the Terminal Lance comic, as described in this 2010 panel.
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Photo Credit: Maximilian Uriarte
"When I saw Lance Corporal Sammon toss up the 'TL' hand signal, all I could think of was how proud I was to see a lance corporal make a positive headline at a liquor store," Uriarte said. told Marine Corps Times.
Sammon said he didn't realize he was being filmed at the time.
The lance corporal had been was working out at a 24-hour fitness center before stopping at the liquor store on his way home and said he has no specific first responder medical training beyond that received in boot camp.
As he ran up to the accident scene, he observed the driver of a black sedan slumped over the wheel. The vehicle was stuck in drive with the engine revving high.
Careful to keep the man's head and spine straight, Sammon pulled him from the shattered vehicle and moved him to the side of the road.
"That's when the car caught on fire," he said. "It wasn't real big at first, but it grew real fast."
With the unconscious man secured, Sammon returned to the second vehicle.
The driver had collapsed on the ground after attempting to leave the car.
"His leg was broken pretty bad," Sammon said. "I felt bad moving him; he was in a lot of pain, but I picked him up and moved him next to the other guy."
The first man had gained consciousness, but was unaware he had been in an accident.
Sammon calmly talked with him to reassure him until paramedics arrived to take over care of the men.
"It might have been five or 10 minutes," he said. "I'm not sure; it was all kind of a blur."
Sammon doesn't see himself as a hero, though, and is a bit overwhelmed at the media attention he's received.
"Any civilian could have done the same thing," he said. "I think it's more about being a good human being."
Sammon returned to duty Monday to take a Humvee driving test.
Matthew L. Schehl covers training and education, recruiting, West Coast Marines, MARSOC, and operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East for Marine Corps Times. He can be reached at mschehl@marinecorpstimes.com.
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