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Alan P. Aaron
The Armed Services YMCA is pleased to announce U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman First Class Alan P. Aaron as one of the 2019 Angels of the Battlefield Award recipients. Aaron provided exemplary care and support when the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker collided off the coast of Singapore on Aug. 21, 2017.
Aaron ran in the direction of the sound of the collision and saw Sailors escaping through a scuttle. Aaron ran to the berthing area damaged in the collision and searched for injured shipmates. After the order came to close all watertight doors, Aaron was instructed to go to the medical area. When he arrived, he took control and initiated a mass casualty response, conducting an on-scene assessment, setting up triage and coordinating the movements of patients to casualty collection points on the ship. Aaron performed advanced first aid, basic life support, critical care and other medical management functions on nearly 50 Sailors in the first five hours after the collision. His actions contributed not only to the health of the crew and his patients, but also the survivability of the ship.
The Angels of the Battlefield Awards Gala is an Armed Services YMCA signature event honoring the individual men and women on the front lines who are saving lives and have demonstrated extraordinary courage. The Armed Services YMCA recognizes a single individual from each military branch for their accomplishments.
The annual Angels of the Battlefield Gala is Oct. 27 at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Va. Angels is the only event which recognizes the front line actions of military medical personnel.
ABOUT ARMED SERVICES YMCA:
The Armed Services YMCA is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves currently serving military members and their families. In 2018, we engaged more than 225,000 people in our programs and delivered nearly 1 million points of services to junior enlisted Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen and family members at 200 service centers in 18 states. Whether providing respite child care for parents in need, summer camps for kids, or assisting with emergency needs, the Armed Services YMCA is a nonprofit with a mission: Strengthening Our Military Family. Visit our website to see how you can join us in supporting military families.