U.S. Army Spc. Andrew Paget, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion (CA BN) medic, recently provided first aid to a Djiboutian man who sustained life-threatening injuries after he fell from a moving truck.

Paget’s team was on their way back from a mission when they noticed a man on the ground surrounded by bystanders, but nobody was medically trained to deal with the man’s injuries. Without hesitation, Paget started treating the man’s injuries. He started by controlling the blood coming from the man’s head, and then moved to wrapping his arms, which had been cut up by the road.

“I had my interpreter talk to him while I was assessing the rest of his body,” Paget said. “My interpreter talked to him calmly to get his breathing back to a normal rate. He had a strong radial pulse, which was a good sign.”

Given the circumstances, Paget said everyone around seemed rather calm, even the man’s father. Paget and the interpreter talked his father through everything Paget was doing.

“I didn’t really feel nervous at all,” said Paget, who has been in the Army for four years and a medic for one year. “The Army spends a lot of time training us for situations just like this one. I just started doing what I was trained to do.”

After providing care to the man’s several wounds, Paget continued to monitor the man’s condition until the ambulance arrived. He then helped load the man into the ambulance.

Back in the U.S., Paget is assigned to the Badger Company, 407th CA BN, Arden Hills, Minn. and was spoken about highly by his command.

“Specialist Paget has been a go-getter since he arrived at my unit. He volunteered to re-class from civil affairs specialist to health care specialist, or medic, shortly after hearing about the mission and what we were going to do here,” said U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Jerry Healy, 443rd CA BN. “I am very proud of his actions and he is an excellent representative of the many fine young Soldiers that comprise Badger Company.”

Healy said he was very impressed with how Paget handled the situation. He said he may only have one year of medic experience, but handled this like a veteran. The people in the community have also been very grateful and appreciative of the help Paget provided, he added.

The man has returned home, where he is still recovering, after spending several weeks in the hospital.