Marine receives rare heroism award for saving victim shot 23 times

[1] Issa, now 25, decided to become a Marine when he was 18, he said in an interview with Marine Corps Times on Tuesday. He turned down a full ride to Ohio State University because it didn't feel right to him to pursue the privilege of college without first serving overseas.

[2] In January 2023, Issa was serving with the infantry unit 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The night of the shooting, he and a fellow Marine had wrapped up dinner at Olive Garden and walked into a bar in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu in search of a bathroom. They had been there for only a few minutes when the gunfire started.

[3] When Issa saw the gunmen, he initially thought they were trying to enter the bar. He rushed toward the pair, pushing a few people behind a table to cover them as he went. Then he realized the shooters were targeting someone on the sidewalk. "I just felt like | was on a range; Issa said. “! don't know if it was one of those blocks that I had from being in the Marine Corps infantry, but at the time | didn't feel like there was any danger associated with shooting, but | did feel like there was danger for the victim.” [4] The two gunmen escaped, but one of them sporadically was shooting back at the victim as he ran away, Issa recalled. In those moments, the Marine exposed himself to tha fire to attend to the victim.

[5] Issa relied on the casualty care simulations he had run through in training. He took off the victim's shirt and checked him for bullet wounds, of which there were several. Meanwhile, Issa felt a warm sensation on his knees, which were appiying pressure near the victim's crotch to cut off the femoral artery. It was blood. Realizing that the victim's legs needed attention, Issa removed the flannel shirt from his own body and fashioned a makeshift tourniquet for the right leg. When two police officers arrived, Issa received from them a pair of real tourniqueis that he used on the victim's legs.

[6] The case later was classified as second-degree attempted murder, the Honolulu Police Department told Marine Corps Times on Wednesday. No arrests were made, the police said, and the victim withdrew his complaint and did not want to prosecute.

[7] That night, Issa told his first sergeant that there had been a shooting, though he gave few details. But three Marine officers who happened to have been at the bar and witnessed Issa's actions informed his command, Issa said.

[8] On Feb. 19, Issa received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal from Navy Capt. Michael Puffer, the commanding officer of the Naval ROTC at the University of South Florida. The medal - the highest award for heroism outside of combat - recognizes service members who have taken heroic actions at the risk of their own lives. Its a rare honor.

[9] But, for now, Issa's medal is tucked away in a storage container. Issa said he means no disrespect to those who put in effort to secure him the recognition. It's just that he didn't want an award, because, in his view, what he did is just what anyone should try to do in that situation. "I don't think that any life is more important than another,” he said.

(Abridged from https:/Amww militarytimes.com)