Marines Receive NAM For Assisting Injured Climbers
by U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Edison Lobos
November 1, 2026

Liberty is a mission ... To Marine Corps 1st Lt. Isaac Lopez, a communication strategy and operations officer, and Corporals Jeremiah Barksdale and Ryan Sotodavila, combat graphics specialists with 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, it meant doing the right thing.

On September 5, Barksdale and Sotodavila hiked to the top of Mount Fuji during a 96-hour liberty period. As they descended the mountain on the Yoshida Trail, they noticed a woman in need of help.

“We ran into this woman from Hong Kong and her brother,” said Sotodavila. “She had injured her foot. We saw that and we stopped.”

Another hiker was already on the phone with the aid station because the woman could not climb down the mountain, Barksdale said. The initial attempts to get help up to them were unsuccessful.

Barksdale and Sotodavila decided they were going to have to carry her down.

“It was pitch black and freezing cold as we went down the mountain,” said Sotodavila.

Traveling partly down their trail, Barksdale and Sotodavila alternated carrying her on their backs for almost an hour. Exhausted, the Marines decided to contact the police as the weather conditions worsened.

“It was difficult to communicate due to the language barrier,” said Barksdale. “We realized we’d have to get her all the way down on our own.”

Lopez encountered a similar situation the following day.

On September 6, Lopez recalls reaching the top of Mount Fuji from Gotemba Trail around 1:30 p.m. with his liberty buddy, Marine Corps 1st Lt. Ethan Wilson, a logistics officer with Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group.

Lopez described the view on of top Mount Fuji as surreal and colorful, but the journey to the bottom of the mountain brought a darker tone.

“We heard from other climbers that a really bad storm was coming around 3:30 p.m.,” said Lopez.

Lopez and Wilson cut their time at the top of the mountain short on account of the storm. During their descent, weather conditions worsened.

“It was getting foggier and the rain starting to hit our faces a lot harder,” said Lopez. “The wind was terrible. We had to get down fast.”

Visibility was reduced to about 10 feet, and on the way down, they saw an elderly Japanese man struggling on the path. Lopez recalls seeing the man before.

“We had seen him before as we were going up the mountain,” said Lopez. “He was slightly behind us, but he was going at a pretty good pace.”

Despite what Lopez and Wilson saw on the way up, they noticed the man’s pace had slowed significantly.

“We saw him stumble and fall onto his hands and knees,” said Lopez. “That’s when we knew we needed to help him.”

Lopez and Wilson empathized with the man’s suffering and felt a responsibility to help him.

“We were tired and hungry, and we knew the old man was too,” said Lopez. “He was hurting. I couldn’t have imagined leaving him behind.”

Lopez and Wilson decided to carry the man down Gotemba Trail’s challenging terrain.

“The trail we were on was very narrow and steep,” said Lopez. “It was uneven and we quickly realized carrying him side by side was not going to work.”

Lopez and Wilson decided the best way to carry the man was to alternate carrying him on their backs ... much like Barksdale and Sotodavila. As Lopez and Wilson carried the man down to the aid station, the severe weather continued to threaten their mission.

“The storm was getting worse, we were traveling slower and we were getting colder,” Lopez said.

Lopez and Wilson did not anticipate this dire situation, which meant they did not have enough supplies to sustain the three of them. They were exhausted.

“I started to see stars. What little water we did have we gave it all to the man,” said Lopez. “We needed to figure out how to help him get down the mountain.”

Even though it was on separate days, the four Marines found themselves in a similar situation: exhausted, high up Mount Fuji and tasked with getting stranded hikers to potentially lifesaving assistance. Help took different forms for each pair of Marines.

After traveling as far as they could, Barksdale and Sotodavila reached out for help again.

“We contacted the police again,” said Barksdale, “and thankfully a medical team came from the aid station.”

Barksdale and Sotodavila’s determination helped save the Hong Kong woman's life. The medical team met them on the mountain and provided necessary care. Eventually, the Marines reached the bottom of the mountain.

Lopez and Wilson's situation was not as fortunate.

“I think the cold ... mixed with fatigue ... was causing the man to have a hypothermic reaction,” said Lopez.

Lopez recalled they were near a hut with a generator. He and Wilson could go get help while the man stayed warm in the hut ... but the man’s body had completely stopped shaking.

The man had begun to actively refuse their assistance. The Marines still felt the responsibility to do something.

“He stopped wanting our help,” Lopez said. “He went into what seemed like delirium. Initially when we were carrying him, he kept repeating ‘thank you.’ But at this point, he kept repeating, ‘no’ at us.”

Since the man was refusing, Lopez and Wilson had to leave him near the hut while they went for help.

“We decided we had to rundown to the aid station and see if we could plead with them to help us,” Lopez said. “The man was not in a good condition.”

Lopez and Wilson sprinted down to the aid station and pleaded with them to send a rescue team up. After strained translations, a rescue team was sent ... but Lopez and Wilson were not allowed to climb back up.

The next morning, Lopez and Wilson read in a news article that the man had died.

Despite the outcome, the locals from the aid station and police department were thankful for their support.

Lopez, Barksdale and Sotodavila demonstrated the responsibility Marines shoulder whether on or off duty. Regardless of where Marines are around the world, they take action to help others in need.

“We don’t leave people behind. We always aim to do the right thing,” said Sotodavila.

October 9, 2026, Lopez, Barksdale and Sotodavila were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan.

“When these Marines encountered others in need, they stepped in and helped,” said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Colton Bowser, commanding officer of Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. “Their compassion, judgment, and willingness to act reflect the core values, standards and discipline we hold ourselves to every day. They understood that being a Marine goes beyond the uniform and the workday. I am extremely proud of these Marines and the example they set.”

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