A Marine Corps Air Station Miramar postal clerk demonstrated what Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., currently the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke of and stepped up during a night out with friends at San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, April 8, 2017.
Lance Cpl. Kevin RodriguezMunoz observed a suspicious man walking toward a dark alley carrying what appeared to be a young military member who seemed to be out of his senses. RodriguezMunoz approached the two men to see if everything was OK only to discover the service member was bleeding and incoherent. After a short dialogue, RodriguezMunoz obtained the ID of the hurt service member and pulled him away from the suspect.
“The first thing that came to my mind was to save his life because he was a fellow Marine,” said RodriguezMunoz, who is also a member of the security augmentation force. “Working for [Provost Marshals Office] teaches me that we have to protect the people who don’t know how to defend themselves.”
RodriguezMunoz caught the attention of others in the area who helped care for the Marine while RodriguezMunoz contacted the Marine’s chain of command who arrived and took him to the local hospital.
Through his actions that night, RodriguezMunoz saved the life of the other Marine: a Marine he’s never met before, who is assigned to 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and works at MCAS Miramar.
“He set the example for the rest of us, to include myself and his superiors,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Luis Reyna, RodriguezMunoz’s officer-in-charge. “By being proactive and taking charge of the situation to help another Marine, even though he put himself in danger, speaks highly of his character.”
Reyna described RodriguezMunoz as a Marine who is always taking initiative at work and someone who is a participant not a bystander.
For RodriguezMunoz, it doesn’t matter what it takes, he will always try to protect those in need. “My principles as a Marine are focused on the protection of people and the Marines to my right and left,” said RodriguezMunoz. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a Marine or civilian, you’re always ready to help whoever needs it.”
There will be Marines who do something they aren’t supposed to do according to the set standard of ethics, but America looks at the Marine Corps as their protectors, Reyna explained. When Marines do something great, it’s good for them but it’s important for the community to see who these Marines really are and continue to believe in them as America’s number one fighting force, in war and at home.
Story by Sgt. Brytani Wheeler
