Lance Cpl. Allen Corbett, left to right, Sgt. Louis Romeo and Cpl. Joseph Marks, all riflemen with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, receive Navy Achievement Medals at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Sept. 5, 2025. (Adam Trump/U.S. Marine Corps)
CAMP SCHWAB, Okinawa — A group of Marines newly arrived on Okinawa have been recognized for providing first aid to a Japanese bicyclist injured in a traffic collision in Nago city this summer.
Five members of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune, N.C., received commendations on Sept. 5 for assisting the man, who suffered a head injury after a passenger car struck his bicycle at an intersection in Miyazato ward on Aug. 30.
“To us, it’s just another day on the job … what we did are things that we’re trained to do every day, so it doesn’t seem that big of a deal,” Sgt. Jacob Carey told Stars and Stripes on Monday at Camp Schwab. “Then when you’re recognized for it — because you’re doing it to other people, who it’s not a part of their daily routine — it kind of puts it into perspective.”
The Marines — Carey, Sgt. Louis Romeo, Cpls. Joseph Marks and Joshua Joyner, and Lance Cpl. Allen Corbett — were on their first off-base liberty trip in downtown Nago. Their battalion had arrived two weeks earlier as part of the Unit Deployment Program.
They were waiting for a bus back to Schwab around 4 p.m. when Romeo and Marks saw the accident. A car driven by a woman traveling east on a cross street collided with the bicycle in a crosswalk on Route 84.
“We all looked at each other, and we were like, ‘We should probably help out here.’ So, we just ran over to the scene,” Carey said.
He, Corbett and Joyner moved the bicyclist and helped the woman park her car in a nearby lot.
“When we picked him up, we realized he was bleeding from his head,” Carey said.
Sgt. Jacob Carey receives a certificate of commendation from Lt. Col. Matthew Newman, commander of 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Sept. 5, 2025. (Adam Trump/U.S. Marine Corps)
As the Marines applied pressure to the man’s wound to stop the bleeding, Carey purchased first aid supplies and water from a nearby convenience store. They used translation apps to communicate with bystanders and ask for emergency services.
“None of us was really being told to do a specific thing — it’s like everyone was looking for their own thing to do,” Joyner said.
The Marines left after emergency medical personnel, police and firefighters arrived. The bicyclist was taken to a nearby hospital, according to an Oct. 1 division news release.
A Nago fire department spokesman confirmed the accident but declined to provide further details. Some Japanese government officials must speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
For their actions, Romeo, Marks and Corbett received the Navy Achievement Medal. Carey and Joyner were awarded Certificates of Commendation.
Lance Cpl. Allen Corbett receives a Navy Achievement Medal from Lt. Col. Matthew Newman, commander of 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Sept. 5, 2025. (Adam Trump/U.S. Marine Corps)
Part of the battalion’s mission on Okinawa is to support the local community when possible, battalion commander Lt. Col. Matt Newman said Monday at Schwab.
“We have to set the right image, and these guys just knocked it out of the park first opportunity they had,” he said.
Stars and Stripes reporter Keishi Koja contributed to this report.
AloJapan.com