DLA Oklahoma City worker saves a retiree’s life Published March 19, 2009 By Cathy Hopkins DSCR Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- Susan Kelly's quick thinking helped saved Otha Brewer's life March 5 when he passed out after choking on his lunch. Ms. Kelly is a Defense Logistics Agency Oklahoma City employee working as an inventory management specialist here. Mr. Brewer, an Air Force civilian retiree from Tinker, came to have lunch with his friend, Donna Freelen. Ms. Freelen is an inventory management specialist for the E-3 Sentry aircraft in the E-3 Material Branch of the Material Support Section at Tinker. "We were sitting there talking and having lunch when Otha began to choke," said Ms. Freelen. "I, of course, panicked and yelled for help when he passed out." Within seconds of calling out, Ms. Freelen said Ms. Kelly was on her feet. "Susan Kelly immediately jumped up and performed the Heimlich maneuver while the visitor was in his chair," said David Thomas, chief of the Material Support Section, E-3 Material Branch. "His passage cleared and everything was OK. Susan's quick and speedy response should be commended and recognized." "Thanks to Susan keeping a cool head and being fast to recognize a problem, things turned out fine," said Ms. Freelen. When talking with Ms. Kelly after the incident, she said she "simply responded to a co-worker's call for help." The Heimlich maneuver is an emergency procedure for removing a foreign object lodged in the airway that is preventing a person from breathing. The maneuver is performed by compressing the abdomen below the level of the diaphragm, forcing air out of the lungs and dislodging the obstruction. Ms. Kelly encourages all employees to enroll at their local American Red Cross in Adult and Child CPR. She said the class trains lay responders to overcome any reluctance to act in emergency situations and to recognize and care for life-threatening respiratory or cardiac emergencies in adults and children.