Marine awarded for saving Okinawan woman from venomous snake bite January 13 Sgt. John James, a motor vehicle operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for saving Tokiko Ahuso, a local Kin Town resident who was bitten by a habu viper on Nov. 6, at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Dec 23, 2020. (Cpl. Brandon Salas/Marine Corps) In early November Marine Sgt. John James rushed to the rescue of an elderly Okinawan woman from who was bitten by the venomous Habu Viper. In late December the Marine was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for his lifesaving actions ― while Tokiko Ahuso, the Kin Town resident he rescued, was present.
Marine Awarded for Saving Elderly Woman from Deadly Viper Attack
Sgt. John James, a motor vehicle operator with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), is awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for saving Tokiko Ahuso, a local Kin Town resident who was bitten by a habu viper on Nov. 6, at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Dec 23, 2020. (U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Brandon Salas)
28 Dec 2020
This article by James Clark originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues.
After an elderly woman named Tokiko Ahuso was bitten by a deadly viper on Nov. 6 in Kin, a town in the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan, U.S. Marine Sgt. John James sprung into action and rendered first aid. Thanks to his efforts she survived, and on Dec. 23, Ahuso attended an award ceremony for James at Camp Hansen, Okinawa.