Photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Getsie / 17th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Section
Capt. Tyler Wistisen, from left, 1st Lt. Michael Flury, and Capt. Tana Gurule were honored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and received the Life Saving Award at the Clark County Armory, Friday, May 14, 2021, in Las Vegas. All three, who were activated at the time for Capitol Response, received the awards for helping rescue a Virginia woman after she crashed her car.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 | 6:30 p.m.
Medics and military personnel respond to a crash scene in Tysons, Virginia, on Jan. 18, 2021. Two Nevada National Guard troops, Capt. Tana Gurule and Capt. Tyler Wistisen, both from the Guard's 1-221st Cavalry, and National Guard 1st Lt. Michael Flury, are being lauded for saving a woman's life.
The mangled car sat at a Virginia intersection after its motorist slammed into a cement wall on Jan. 18. The driver appeared dead.
When Nevada Army National Guard Capt. Tana Gurule, a Metro Police officer from Boulder City, jumped into action, she wasn’t a stranger to a critical emergency.
As an attendee of the 2017 Route 91 Harvest festival, she rushed to usher other concertgoers to safety when a gunman unleashed an indiscriminate barrage of gunfire.
Now, after the car crash in Fairfax County, the 1st Squadron 221 Cavalry captain found herself again saving a life.
Gurule pulled the broken windshield off the car, found the unconscious woman’s pulse, and “opened” her airway.
“She looked deceased but gulped a huge gasp of air when her airway was opened,” Gurule previously said in a news release. “She was alive, thank God.”
Gurule and two other Nevada Army National Guard members — Capt. Tyler Wistisen and 1st Lt. Michael Flury — both of whom “provided assistance and helped get medical personnel on scene quickly,” were honored with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Life Saving Award Friday during a ceremony at a Las Vegas military facility. Gurule’s award was presented “with valor.”
The crash victim, who was initially listed in critical condition, survived her injuries, which were described as two broken ankles and a broken femur.
Gurule, Wistisen and Flury were among about 25,000 National Guard personnel dispatched to Washington, D.C., to support local law enforcement during President Joe Biden’s inauguration, following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Additionally, during Friday’s ceremony, the Nevada Army National Guard awarded the soldiers the Land Component Commander’s “coin of excellence.”
The commander, Col. Troy Armstrong, handed out the coins.
“These warriors were capable, ready and responded immediately to that event,” said Armstrong, according to a news release. “Because of their efforts, they helped save the life of the driver of that vehicle. I want to thank you for everything you have done and continue to do. I’ll say it again, leadership matters. This fine organization is full of great leaders and you all make a difference every day.”
