FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on concert-goers attending the 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nev., killing 58 and injuring 450 people. Amid the chaos and confusion, three Air Force medics attending the concert leapt into action.
Staff Sgt. Alyson Venegas, Senior Airman Logan Bennett, and Senior Airman Linda Wilson voluntarily risked their lives to help others get to safety, while also attending to the wounded. These three distinguished Airmen went above and beyond their duties and responsibilities, relying on their training to guide their actions, during the deadliest mass casualty in modern American history.
As the gunfire began, Bennett used a table and equipment boxes to protect herself and others. While taking cover, Bennett noticed a female victim who sustained a gunshot wound to the face. She immediately started life-saving care, using several shirts as makeshift bandages and carrying the victim to a triage point for further medical attention, safely out of danger.
While many concert-goers were confused and terrified in the midst of continuous gunfire, Venegas remained calm and focused on getting others to safety. Venegas administered life-saving care to dozens of people, as well as worked with first responders to safely and efficiently transport victims to nearby hospitals.
After running for cover, then assessing the situation, Wilson directed others to get first-aid kits from the police car to get necessary supplies to victims. Her training also helped her to coach others on how to use shirts as tourniquets and bandages when first-aid supplies ran out. In addition to helping numerous victims at the scene, Wilson played a vital role in ensuring that the most critical patients were identified and treated upon arriving at Sunrise Medical Center.
“In my 28 years of military service and countless deployments I have never been prouder of any group than I am of Staff Sgt. Alyson Venegas, Senior Airman Linda Wilson, and Senior Airman Logan Bennet,” said Chief Master Sergeant Steven Cum, Chief, Medical Enlisted Force and Enlisted Corps Chief, Office of the Surgeon General. U.S. Air Force. “Their courage, poise, and professionalism stands out among some of our greatest heroes in our Air Force history.”