Recognized for their bravery in stopping two suspects from stabbing another person with a knife at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in North Stafford, Virginia, three brand new Marine Security Guards were honored on Thursday morning, Task & Purpose reports.
According to Gunnery Sgt. Matthew J. Bragg, a spokesman for the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, Cpl. John Darby, Cpl. Bradley Feldkamp, and Lance Cpl. Nicholas Dural received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal at a ceremony held at the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group’s headquarters in Quantico, Virginia.
The incident occurred on April 1, when the three Marines were waiting for visas and flights to their posts after completing their training to become Marine Security Guards on March 9, the report notes.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office credited the trio with breaking up a fight after two teenagers, aged 14 and 17, allegedly attacked another teenager, with one of the assailants brandishing a knife.
The three Marines intervened and prevented the situation from escalating further.
During an interview with reporters on Thursday, the Marines recounted the events that transpired at the restaurant.
Dural shared that he and his colleagues had decided to stop by the Chick-fil-A before getting haircuts, and Darby added that the two attackers appeared out of place compared to the other customers in the restaurant.
After a brief argument between the three parties, one of the attackers knocked into a woman.
Dural went to check on her, and that was when he saw the knife and acted quickly to disarm the attacker.
“That’s when I turned around, they were still tussling, and one of the smaller ones pulled out a knife,” Dural recounted. “I saw the knife and I just reacted.”
When confronted by an armed attacker, Dural attributed his swift response to his training as a Marine Security Guard on defensive tactics, which immediately came to mind.
“Honestly, by the time I got there were four hands on one knife,” Darby continued. “I didn’t even really think of grabbing the knife like he was. I was more concerned about keeping the knife away from him.”
He grabbed the base of the teenager’s wrist to disarm him, applying so much pressure that he was able to snap the knife.
Darby helped to keep the knife away from the attacker, and Feldkamp prevented a fourth person from joining the altercation.
The two attackers eventually fled the scene but were soon arrested by the police.
Darby pointed to their training in explaining their quick response, emphasizing that recruits learn in boot camp that it is everyone’s responsibility to help if someone is in trouble.
“As soon as Lance Cpl. Dural directly involved himself in the situation, I felt like I had no other choice but to get as close as possible and help in any way that I could,” he said.
Despite their heroism, Dural did not feel he deserved the award and said any other Marine would have done the same in that situation.
“I want to be that Marine,” he said. “I want to be a calm that people see. I want to be that strong person that anybody can trust. I was like that for my sisters when I grew up with them and I would love to do that for the rest of the world.”
