SrA. John Muirhead, a firefighter with the 87th Civil Engineer Squadron at JB McGuire, N.J., is a true livesaver. While off-duty and visiting a friend recently at a nearby fire station, he helped respond to a local house fire in Jamesburg, N.J., and saved an infant’s life. Arriving at the scene during the July 2 fire, he noticed a woman hanging out of a third-floor window of the burning dwelling holding the infant. “[I] knew I had to do something,” explained Muirhead. He climbed to the second-story roof, caught the baby when the woman dropped it to him from a height of approximately 20 feet, and brought it to safety. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to save the woman when she jumped. She subsequently died. But firefighters were able to rescue an additional two children and one adult. (JB McGuire report by Pascual Flores)
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.