Marine Sgt. Andrew Gomez recently received the Department of the Navy’s highest non-combat award for helping to rescue a woman from the scene of a fiery car crash in New Jersey, according to a news story from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, where Gomez is assigned.
Gomez was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal last month. He has served in the Marine Corps for more than nine years and is currently assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 49, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.
“While I don’t see myself as a hero, I am happy to have been that for someone on what was probably the worst day of their life,” Gomez said in the news story. “My mom taught me that life isn’t about us. She is passionate about being good to others, so I think some of that rubbed off on me.”
On June 19, 2023, Gomez was driving back to base from Philadelphia when he came upon the car crash.
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“While driving, I noticed smoke billowing from the woods and a car fire beginning on I-295,” Gomez said. “I saw no visible first responders on scene and felt a calling to pull over and render aid.”
Gomez got out of his car and ventured to the scene of the crash. It was clear that the car had veered off the road and slammed into a tree. The driver appeared to have suffered neck injuries while a woman was lying beside the vehicle, apparently unable to move.
The Marine instantly ran toward the woman and picked her up. Another passerby helped him move her away from the burning car.
“Her injuries were severe, but she didn’t seem in immediate risk of dying before first responders arrived,” Gomez said. “We brought her to the edge of the highway, and I decided to move her again in case the vehicle exploded.”
Gomez went back to check on the driver, who was unresponsive. An Air Force official told Task & Purpose on Thursday that the driver did not survive the crash.
First responders soon arrived on the scene and doused the car fire. Gomez said he believes that the woman may not have survived if he had not moved her because emergency crews may not have reached her in time.
The woman and her family have since bonded with Gomez, who has been invited to cookouts and a birthday party since the crash.
Gomez credited the values he learned from both the Marine Corps and his mother for his quick response to the crisis. His Marine training also prepared him to run towards danger and save lives, he said.
“This remarkable act of bravery stands as a testament to the courage and selflessness that define the men and women serving in our Marine Corps,” Maj. Gen. John Kelliher III, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing commanding general,” said in the news story. “The valiant actions displayed by Sgt. Gomez unquestionably merits one of our highest honors, demonstrating that Marines and others like him can be called upon to respond in times of crisis.”