Maxwell Airman comes to aid of heart attack victim Published April 2, 2010 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Tech. Sgt. James Harrell Jr. was on his way home from here after a shift with the 81st Security Forces Squadron about 5:15 a.m. March 26. As he traveled west on Pass Road, he turned south onto Rodenberg Avenue -- not his normal route home to Gulfport, Miss. "I can't explain it ... I just decided to turn there," Sergeant Harrell said. Sergeant Harrell is assigned to the 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., but is on temporary duty at Keesler AFB. As he approached Irish Hill Drive, he saw something in the eastbound lane ... a body. An elderly man who had been walking his dog collapsed in the road. Sergeant Harrell rushed to his aid, while the clerk at a nearby convenience store called 911. "He wasn't breathing," Sergeant Harrell said. "My response was automatic -- this man needed help." The man's life depended on the sergeant's ability to keep him alive for five to seven minutes until emergency medical technicians arrived. "It was very intense and seemed to take forever," he said. "When the EMTs got there, he was flat-lined. He'd had a massive heart attack and they had to shock him five times to bring him back." The emergency responders took the victim to Biloxi Regional Medical Center in Mississippi and Sergeant Harrell headed for home, emotionally and physically drained by the incident. One thought kept nagging him though; did the man survive? Later that day while he was in a drug identification class, a call came from the Biloxi Police Department. The stricken man had survived and was in serious but stable condition. The official police report noted that the hospital staff said that due to Sergeant Harrell's quick actions, the man would probably recover without any serious consequences. "My mom is a CPR instructor, and she was very proud of me when I called her," Sergeant Harrell said. "I'm so glad that gentleman survived. It was an incredible experience; knowing you've helped another human being is very rewarding." Perhaps the greatest reward was the phone call he received from his 10-year-old daughter, Taylor, who lives in Alabama. "Daddy, God sends angels," Taylor insisted. "God sent you to help that man."