The power of one

by Senior Airman Brenden Marlin
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

5/20/2014 - JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Respect for all is a trait that most Airmen exemplify. Airman 1st Class Aaron Bell, 62nd Operations Support Squadron airfield management apprentice, demonstrated this trait April 16, 2014, when he helped save the life of a Joint Base Lewis-McChord service member.

Bell was relaxing in his apartment when he received a call from his sister. She told Bell that one of her friends, a JBLM service member, was posting threats on his own life online.

Coincidentally, Bell had taken suicide prevention training earlier that day, so when his sister told him what was going on, his training kicked in and he immediately thought to tell someone.

Bell asked for the pictures and the name of the service member and quickly called Staff Sgt. Kenneth Dean, Bell's supervisor, and informed him of the situation.

Dean and Bell notified their chain of command, who immediately began trying to locate the distraught service member.

"I felt what he did was a very responsible thing to do," said Dean. "Whether he knew the guy or not, he felt like he needed to help him. He tends to make very good decisions, and he puts himself in position to do the right thing."

JBLM authorities located the member's home address and local law enforcement officials went to to his off base residence to provide assistance.

"Looking out for one another, that's what it's all about," said Dean. "People can see what Airmen Bell did and use that as an example to follow."

When dealing with someone who is talking about hurting himself, it might be difficult to determine if it is just a joke, Bell said. But no one can really know what is going on in another person's life, so all threats need to be taken seriously.

Taking the situation seriously is exactly what Bell did.

"It was an extraordinary situation and Airmen Bell rose to the occasion," Dean said.