Information Technician 2nd Class Thomas James received the Navy and Marines Corps Medal on Thursday for his actions at the gay nightclub Club Q when an assailant entered the venue and began firing a high-powered rifle. Five people were killed, and another 18 were injured at the Club Q nightclub shooting on Nov. 19, 2022, in Colorado Springs. James had grabbed the barrel of the weapon and restrained the gunman until the police arrived and took the assailant into custody. During the incident, he suffered a gunshot wound in his abdomen and burned his hands as a result of his actions. And yet, in the ambulance to the hospital, he offered his seat to another injured person. From the Navy Times:
Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, director of Plans, Policy and Strategy for North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, presented the award to James on Thursday at Peterson Space Forces Base in Colorado.
Robertson said ahead of the ceremony, he asked James, who is assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency, why he chose to act the way he did.
“He said, ‘I wanted to buy time for my friends. I wanted to protect my community.’”
The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the highest noncombat award for heroism and typically is awarded to those who put their own life in jeopardy.
Sailor earns heroism award for actions during LGBTQ nightclub shooting https://t.co/EqiurznFR7
— Navy Times (@NavyTimes) October 7, 2023
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