442nd Fighter Wing reservist saves life

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kent Kagarise
  • 442nd Fighter Wing
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, MO. --  Imagine gasping for air in the middle of the street; it's broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon in downtown Warrensburg, Mo., with a wedding reception taking place across the street, cars passing by--and nobody cares.

Psychologists refer to this phenomenon as, the "bystander effect." This occurs when people are less likely to lend a helping hand when other onlookers are present. The overwhelming thought many have is, "Everybody sees this person dealing with their issue and aren't helping, so the individual must be OK."

Master Sgt. Calvin Carter, a metals technician and an Air Force reservist with the 442nd Maintenance Squadron, may have been absent the day this theory was being taught in psychology class; or possibly, he decided to prove it wrong, May 2.

"My wife and I were driving near Sterling Elementary School around 3 p.m., when we spotted a guy laying in the middle of the street," Sergeant Carter said.

With the numerous activities going on all around the area this beautiful spring afternoon, Sergeant Carter also thought it was peculiar however; he almost went about his business until he evaluated the situation.

"Everybody was just driving by. Across the street there was a wedding party all dressed up and taking pictures, laughing--you know the whole wedding deal," Sergeant Carter said.

Sergeant Carter's wife, Yolanda, a certified nurse's aide, spoke up with concern as they passed the ailing man.

"I knew something was wrong with the man so I said, 'turn around.' Before I even finished saying it Calvin was already turning our car around," Mrs. Carter said.

Sergeant Carter felt confident he could handle the situation due to his Air Force training in self-aid and buddy care, and working in the metal shop had him conditioned to respond.

According to Sergeant Carter, the first thing in his mind was whether or not it was safe to approach the victim.

"At first, the man who seemed to be in his mid-forties was on his knees. I looked at his face and it was turning blue. I asked him if he was okay, and he just gasped," Sergeant Carter said.

After pulling the man out of the street and safely away from the steady flow of traffic, Sergeant Carter called 911 and soon found himself being asked a lot of questions he could not answer for the victim. Then he looked up and saw the nearby hospital.

"I don't think this guy has time to wait for an ambulance," Sergeant Carter told the 911 operator. "I'll bring him to the hospital."

At that point, Sergeant Carter picked the now helpless man up, put him in his vehicle and headed to the hospital where emergency-room technicians took over.

The following day, Sergeant Carter and his wife Yolanda went to the Intensive Care Unit to visit the man and learned that he was still using an assisted-breathing device.

They discovered the man's name - Mr. Greg Anderson, a man who had been homeless but is currently working for and living in a local, Warrensburg homeless shelter.

"As I was laying there in the street with the sun shining down on me all I could think about is, I can't believe I'm going to die like this with these people taking wedding pictures right across the street," Mr. Anderson told Sergeant Carter.

While Mr. Anderson could not be reached for this story, he expressed his gratitude to the Carter family through his supervisor at the shelter and, as of May 17, was at home resting and recovering from what turned out to be a severe asthma attack.

For the Carters it was a very emotional experience and yet fulfilling to know that they may have saved a man's life. While families were across the street celebrating a new journey in life through matrimony, the road was about to end for the life of Mr. Anderson.

"When we saw him in the ICU my heart was hurting, I didn't know what state he was in, ''Mrs. Carter said. ''We just wanted him to know someone cared about him."

According to many psychologists, the bystander effect is very real. For all Airmen, it's something to consider. The Air Force has provided all its personnel with effective training and Sergeant Carter demonstrated how Airmen should utilize that training on and off duty.