A Wisconsin National Guard Soldier traveling on military orders performed the Heimlich maneuver on a toddler, saving the girl’s life at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Dec. 7, 2017.
SPC Jasmyne Harris, a supply specialist with the Milwaukee-based 32nd Military Police Company, was waiting for a flight to Oklahoma City, where she was going to learn about new protective masks her unit would be receiving. She decided to grab some food before the flight.
“I was going to stop at one restaurant, but then something told me to just keep going, so I found another restaurant that was actually by the gate,” SPC Harris said.
Just as SPC Harris sat down, there was a commotion. A waitress yelled that a girl was choking. SPC Harris saw that the toddler wasn’t making a sound, and the girl’s mother was unsure how to properly help her child.
“I just went straight into reaction mode,” SPC Harris said.
She went straight to the family and began performing the Heimlich maneuver until the girl was able to breathe again and started crying.
SPC Harris said she felt relieved after she knew the girl was going to be all right.
SSG Brandon Grodsky, an automated logistics noncommissioned officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 257th Brigade Support Battalion, was walking by and witnessed the entire incident. He said there were about 15 people in the area when the toddler began choking.
“They were all kind of frozen in place and not sure what to do, whereas [SPC Harris] just took that step up and actually acted more in a Soldier capacity, being able to handle a stressful situation and not freak out or freeze up,” SSG Grodsky said.
SPC Harris learned the different versions of the Heimlich maneuver for different ages while taking a lifeguard course in high school. This was the second time she performed the Heimlich maneuver on someone who was choking. SPC Harris said that years ago, she was able to save her younger brother, who was choking on a piece of candy.
The toddler didn’t require further medical attention following the incident. The girl’s family was grateful that SPC Harris intervened, she said. Harris’ training in the military and as a lifeguard helped her to remain calm and know what to do. That’s the mindset expected of Soldiers in the National Guard.
“If you’re in a situation where you have to act on it, don’t think twice,” SPC Harris said. “Just act, and everything will come like second nature.”
BY SGT Katie Eggers, WISCONSIN NATIONAL GUARD
