A civilian mariner’s leg was severed. This sailor helped save his life
April 30
Senior Chief Hull Maintenance Technician Mario Pais, seen here during a training exercise, stepped in to help rescue an injured civilian mariner in March. (Navy)
In his almost two decades with the Navy, Senior Chief Hull Maintenance Technician Mario Pais had occasionally administered first aid. But nothing like this.
That didn’t stop Pais and his team from helping to save the life of a 19-year-old civilian mariner whose leg was severed while out sailing with friends.
Pais, 38, and three others assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training and Evaluation Unit One were retrieving equipment off the coast of San Diego March 26 when they heard a distress call over the Coast Guard channel. An individual had sustained a leg injury and was bleeding.