Not all the military’s heroes are stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

In fact, some servicemembers become heroes without even realizing it.

Which was the case on Tuesday, Dec. 7, during the ninth annual Snohomish County Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast, which honors local heroes and their accomplishments.

Naval Station Everett Reserve Center Sailor, Yeoman Petty Officer 2nd Class, Vicki Ege, received the Military Rescue Award for her part in saving a woman’s life.

On April 1, 2004, Ege was in Coronado, Calif., taking part in some Navy training. On that afternoon, as she traveled across the Coronado Bridge, Ege encountered a traffic slowdown.

Suddenly, the air cracked with gunfire. Up ahead, Ege could see a struggle between a woman and a few individuals

As she drove closer to the altercation, Ege witnessed the woman shoot herself in the chest, not more than 10 feet away from Ege’s car.

Ege quickly parked her vehicle and rushed to the woman’s aid. Wanting to offer medical aid, Ege first had to subdue the woman. 

With gunshot wounds to her chest and hand, the woman was now trying to jump off the bridge. Ege helped wrestle the woman away from the bridge’s edge.

The woman eventually collapsed from the gunshot wounds, and Ege was finally able to attend to the injuries.

“I kept her awake and kept pressure on the wounds,” said Ege.

Her willingness to help the wounded woman is most likely the determining factor that kept her alive. Because of the traffic backup on the bridge, an ambulance didn’t arrive for almost 30 minutes.

Afterwards, Ege said she didn’t step into the situation with fear on her mind. 

“I just thought it was the right thing to do,” she said. “At that moment I really wasn’t thinking about danger. Afterwards is when I was started to get scared.”

But on this December day that normally is set aside to praise the heroes of Pearl Harbor, Ege says she was humbled by the nomination.

“I was very surprised to be nominated,” she said. “It felt good to help someone.”