Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Scott Crim’s quick reaction to a baby who had stopped breathing saved the child’s life. Crim, a member of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, was eating lunch in a pizzeria with a group of comrades when some children ran in shouting to call 911.
Springing to action, Crim noticed that a 2-year-old girl was limp and lifeless in its mother’s arms. The airman took the child, bent her over his knee, and began patting her on the back to clear a blocked airway. When that did not work, he began administering the Heimlich maneuver. The child began trying to breathe and soon enough resumed normal breath. He and a colleague, Tech. Sgt. Jacob Hanchett, remained with the mother and child until an emergency medical team arrived and took them to the hospital.
The police report stated, “It was obvious that the actions of … Crim contributed to the victim’s well-being and recovery from her oxygen-deprived state.”
Crim and Hanchett are heavy mobile equipment mechanics with the 137th Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron.
