Two soldiers of the New York Army National Guard saved the life of a stabbing victim in New York City, according to a service news release.

On May 20, Staff Sgt. Joel Strickland and Spc. Desany Jacques were working a security checkpoint at the Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue subway station in Queens, N.Y., assisting police with bag checks. 

Soon after arriving at the station, the soldiers observed a violent incident unfolding. A man, yelling loudly, jumped over the turnstiles and attacked two civilians. Police intervened while Strickland and Jacques provided backup. One of the victims walked up to Strickland and Jacques, revealing he had been stabbed in his upper back. 

“One of the civilians turns around — he had a black hoodie on — and his entire hoodie was soaked in blood,” Strickland said.

Police called for an ambulance while Strickland and Jacques provided emergency first aid. 

Strickland is a trained medic, so he ordered Jacques, a trained supply specialist, to retrieve their EMT bag. He then moved to cover the man’s wound to stop the bleeding. Jacques quickly returned with a trauma kit full of life-saving equipment. The soldiers were able to stop the bleeding after about four minutes, and they then applied a special trauma bandage to the wound. EMTs arrived on scene about 10 minutes later. 

All members of the task force are trained in emergency trauma care, which enabled the soldiers to save the victim’s life, company commander Capt. Caleb Jean said.

The National Guard and New York police work together as part of Joint Task Force Empire Shield, which provides security to the city’s trains and airports. In March, N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the task force to provide security and perform bag checks in the New York subway system.