Marine rescues woman, baby

24 May 2002 | Cpl. Matt Preston Marine Corps Training and Education Command

Murphy's Law of Combat #4 -- You are not Superman.

Marines in combat know that attempting superhuman acts of heroism will most likely get them killed, but one Depot Marine found out that combat isn't the only dangerous place.

While driving down Country Shed Road in Beaufort, S.C., April 25, LCpl. Joseph Carman, Headquarters and Service Battalion S-1 clerk, witnessed a car accident with the vehicles immediately in front of him.

Carman pulled over to the side of the road to see if anyone was hurt. The trunk on the car directly in front of Carman had popped open and he could see that it was on fire. According to Carman, the driver appeared as if she was recovering from blacking out. But the situation was more serious than just one driver.

"In the background I heard a baby," said Carman. Carman quickly removed the child from the car and handed the baby to a bystander. He then focused his attention on the woman driving.

"I told her, 'You need to get out of the car,'" he said. "I didn't want to tell her the car was on fire [because] I didn?t want her to panic."

The woman, however, was injured.

"She said, 'I can't move my legs,'"? said Carman. "I said, 'The car's on fire, I'm going to have to get you out.'"

Carman then single-handedly removed the woman from the car and moved her to a safe distance approximately 30 feet away. The woman had suffered a broken leg and the child suffered minor bumps and bruises, according to Carman.

The fire spread from the trunk into the rest of the car and was soon engulfed in flames, but mother and child were safe. Carman remained with the pair until emergency services arrived.

Carman was more worried about being late to his appointed duty and his gunnery sergeant not believing him his reason for tardiness.

"It [the story] was kind of outrageous," Carman admitted. He made sure he got the number of the responding state trooper, in case there was any doubt to his truthfulness.

Earning medals wasn't on Carman's mind during the incident.

"I really don't expect anything for it, because that's what's natural for me," he said.

A Marine may not be Superman, that doesn't mean that he can't act like him sometimes.

Marine Corps Training and Education Command