(standing ovation time!) Staff Sgt. Billy Scafidel, an armory chief with the 7th Engineer Support Battalion in the 1st Marine Logistics Group, received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the service’s highest non-combat award, for saving another Marine’s life following a motor vehicle accident

he heard a loud splash in the ocean, discovered a truck lying on its side, half submerged in the water, quickly enlisted the help of a nearby Corpsman 2nd Class Andrew James, then grabbed a hammer before smashing out the windshield to get out the trapped driver, shredded his hands without noticing, and succeeded in creating an egress and getting the driver out before the cab was filled with enough seawater to kill the driver, who was in imminent danger of drowning. 

The driver was stuck in the seat, the doors were locked and the driver’s side of the vehicle was quickly filling with water. 

 Before ensuring the driver received medical attention, Scafidel dived back into the water to confirm no other passengers were in the truck.

The driver was transported to a nearby naval hospital, where he made a full recovery.

“In the face of adversity when a life was on the line, Staff Sgt. Scafidel, without care for his own safety, put himself in a position to make a difference,”

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/02/09/marine-earns-services-highest-non-combat-award-for-vehicle-rescue/