USMC 1st Lt. Willie Stewart Awarded NMCM
by U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Bryan Giraldo
June 29, 2025

The day was sunny and the roads were dry ... ideal conditions for driving ... as U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Willie Stewart drove his truck down Interstate 95. He was heading to Norfolk, Virginia on May 17, 2025 to board a U.S. Navy ship that would take him to Fleet Week New York.

As Stewart drove, he witnessed a traffic accident on the opposite side of the highway. A Chevrolet Colorado had collided into a Chrysler Sebring, causing a serious accident. After the collision, the Chevrolet went into the ditch in the grassy median of the highway. Stewart immediately pulled over his vehicle and rushed onto the scene. The feeling of needing to act raced through his mind as he leapt out of his truck to assess the accident.

Stewart, a CH-53E Super Stallion student pilot with Marine Heavy Helicopter Training Squadron 302, originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, graduated from Tennessee State University and commissioned as a second lieutenant through Vanderbilt University’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps in 2019. Stewart was born on the U.S. Army base at Fort Carson, Colorado; his father, a cavalryman in the U.S. Army, and his mother, an emergency medical services practitioner, helped shape his upbringing and desire to help others. In Colorado, the constant drumming sound of rotary engines and aircraft flying over, along with his proximity to the U.S. Air Force Academy, sparked his interest in becoming a pilot.

Drawn to the tradition and the discipline required, Stewart also had a curiosity about the Marine Corps. While enrolled in college, Stewart learned about the possibility of becoming a pilot in the Marine Corps, and pursued an aviation contract.

“I knew I wanted to be a pilot in the military,” said Stewart. “What ultimately made me choose the Marine Corps was the fact that it creates in each individual a sense of tradition, purpose, and belonging.”

After graduating The Basic School, where he internalized the concepts of decisiveness and bias for action, Stewart then proceeded through the naval aviation training pipeline in Pensacola, Florida. While training as a student naval aviator, he first learned the mantra “aviate, navigate, communicate” ... a phrase taught to student pilots early on in their careers. The phrase is used to remind pilots to focus on the core fundamentals of flying in order to manage the complex and sometimes stressful task load that comes with piloting an aircraft. Stewart was taught always to focus on controlling the aircraft first, then on navigating on the correct heading and altitude, and, lastly, to maintain effective communication both with crewmembers and external parties, such as air traffic control. By focusing on these basics ... aviating, navigating, and communicating ... he was trained to effectively manage the many challenges and time-sensitive decisions that pilots face in the cockpit.

“Obviously I could have not stopped at all,” said Stewart. “But who I am as a person and who I am as a Marine prompted me to take action and follow through because someone was in need.”

Smoke billowed up from the wrecked vehicle. Stewart safely pulled off on the left shoulder and rushed forward to assess the scene. He spotted a disoriented man holding his head in his hand as the vehicle was still running. Stewart successfully opened the driver’s door, despite the damage to the vehicle’s frame, carefully removed the driver, and laid him on the grass in the wide median.

Stewart thought back to his experiences in the cockpit. Staying focused despite the chaotic situation, he remained calm and began to assess the driver’s injuries. He began looking for signs of serious injury or external bleeding, and saw traces of blood coming from the driver’s head. Stewart then ran back to his truck and grabbed a towel to wrap around the driver’s head to mitigate any blood loss. He began applying pressure and then directed bystanders to take over so he could continue assessing other potential injuries. Throughout this process, Stewart asked questions to the driver to get more information on who they were and to identify other potential injuries.

For Stewart, the mantra he had learned as a pilot played in his head: “aviate, navigate, communicate.” He knew that he and his team of bystanders needed to continue providing a first line of care, but also knew that he needed to communicate with medical personnel who could take him to a higher echelon of care.

While all this was happening - assessing further injuries, directing bystanders, and asking the driver more questions - Stewart also contacted 9-1-1 and spoke with an emergency medical dispatcher. Stewart gave them details on the exact mile marker where the collision took place, the injured driver’s condition, and how he and the bystanders were tending to the driver's injuries. Once emergency medical services arrived, Stewart briefed them on the situation. He then used his truck’s dashcam to provide authorities with more information on the accident. Stewart stood by, answering questions and helping where he could, until the emergency medical services personnel and law enforcement told him that he was no longer needed.

Stewart was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his actions in a ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina on June 17, 2025. Citing his remarkable skill and composure, Stewart’s decisive actions in controlling the driver’s bleeding were credited by the Virginia State Police as directly saving the driver’s life.

“Obviously I wasn’t flying, I was on the ground and in a much different scenario,” said Stewart. “But doing the job, finishing the job, and following through with the job translated to the situation I was in.”

For Stewart, the mantra “aviate, navigate, communicate” applies not just to flying Marine Corps helicopters, but also to effectively managing life’s most unexpected challenges ... and saving lives.

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