Against the current: Airman's split-second decision saves a life

  • Published
  • By Airman Kayla Karelas
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  “It was a moment when you knew you had to be fast-acting; you can’t hesitate because losing one second could mean losing a life.”

The roar of the current echoed through the air as the icy water surged below, uncontrollable and unforgiving. A Japanese local fell from a bridge into the near-freezing, churning waters of a river near Okutama, Japan. Battling the current and the clock, Senior Airman Malachi Mustango, 36th Airlift Squadron resource advisor, rushed into the water after her.

While on a hike, Mustango discovers a bridge and river tucked away nearby. On one side of the bridge, the water was calm with people swimming and lounging. Though the opposite was happening on the other side.

“I was overlooking the water from the bridge,” said Mustango. “There was little to no barrier and I thought to myself, ‘someone could easily slip or fall in’.”

Continuing on with the hike, he climbs down from the bridge near the shallow end of the water, drawn by the sweeping view as the sunlight strikes the river. The enthralling, yet unpredictable scenery was a chance for a photo he couldn’t pass up.

“As I’m snapping the photos, I see her fall,” he recollected.

Lowering his camera, he freezes in confusion, unsure of the movement caught on the screen.

“This had to have been a professional cliff jumper, right?” he questioned in disbelief.

Looking around for confirmation in surrounding faces, he was puzzled with the realization that he was the only one to witness what just happened.

“I start to assess the situation as it’s happening,” said Mustango. “I yell to see if the woman is okay, but got no response or movement from her.”

In a split second, Mustango hands off his wallet and keys to a friend and directs surrounding people to call for help. He throws himself into the river and rushes to the woman's rescue.

“It was freezing cold in the water,” said Mustango. “But, I knew I had to keep going.”

Fighting the strong tide and piercing cold water with each stroke, he kept focus on the woman, closing the distance as quickly as he could.

He reaches the woman clinging desperately to jagged rocks as the river surged violently around her, tormenting her grip to loosen.

“Medically, I knew not to move her in case she had a spinal injury, especially after a fall from a massive height,” said Mustango. “But if I didn’t move her, she would be swept away by the current.”

Anchoring himself to her, Mustango moves her away from the rushing river to neighboring rocks in a calmer side of the chaos surrounding them.

Mustango was thrown back into his memories of the tactical combat casualty care training that every Airman receives in their military career. Despite lacking a tourniquet, he starts to assess the damage to her body for immediate first aid.

“I did a sweep of her body to check for blood,” said Mustango. “Surprisingly, there wasn’t any blood, but since she was in physical pain, it had to have been internal.”

Unsure of the injuries the woman was facing, Mustango was only left with one decision; wait for help to arrive.

“Her lips started to turn blue,” said Mustango. “I started to think she might die.”

With a language barrier and a lack of resources, it was nearly impossible to properly communicate with one another. Time stood still as the fear of her possible demise rushes through his body.

“At one point,” said Mustango. “She began to say one-one-nine, the emergency number for Japan. I tried to tell her everything will be okay, and I was just hoping she understood me.”

After two harrowing hours of holding the woman away from the rigid waters, Japanese rescuers arrive to extract them.

“It felt like forever,” said Mustango. “But when they got there, they had everything prepared and I felt relieved.”

For Mustango, this act of valor was not for the applause of heroism, but served as a reflection of the highest ideals in the Air Force; integrity, service before self and excellence in all we do.

Reflecting on the event, Mustango believes that the Air Force core values aren’t just part of being an Airman, but a guide to his everyday life. The sense of duty and commitment, even when the uniform comes off, is what drove him to act without hesitation when someone’s life was on the line.

“Our core values are honestly one of the most important things to me,” said Mustango. “It not only loops into me being in the Air Force, but also just as a person,” Mustango concluded. “If I can inspire more people to do what I did, I hope other people will do the same for those in need of help.”