U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Harleigh Faulk was awarded a Navy Achievement Medal, Virginia, Aug. 10, 2026, for life-saving actions performed on Halloween night, 2025.

“I am not surprised that Cpl. Faulk acted immediately to help another person,” said Capt. Michael Kennedy, the officer in charge of Communication Strategy and Operations at Quantico. “Since the day I took charge of the unit, I've seen her as a natural leader who aggressively seeks out leadership opportunities, shouldering responsibilities far beyond her rank and making it look easy. Her actions that Halloween night are a testament to her character on and off duty.”

At the time of the event, Faulk, dressed as a modest Strawberry Shortcake, and the other Marines were leaving the rooftop venue of a local restaurant in Fredericksburg. As the group of Marines went down the stairs, another set of people were on their way up.

Suddenly, a gray-haired man screamed and clutched at his chest, dropping his drink that shattered on the floor. The man twisted, fell sideways and ended on the bottom steps going stiff — just moments later, his body uncontrollably shook.

“When he fell, he landed on his back going up the stairs and went into a seizure,” said Faulk with her strong Southern drawl.

As other bystanders screamed and moved away from the scene, Faulk immediately sprang forward to assist the man and directed the other Marines to call 911.

“When I got to him, he was unresponsive and his airways were obstructed,” said Faulk, a lance corporal at the time and a student at Eastern Virginia Career College studying to become a certified clinical medical assistant. “I quickly noticed he was experiencing cyanosis, and I elevated his head to a better position.”

Recognizing the serious situation this man was in, Faulk repositioned him with the help of another Marine, rolling him over onto his side to prevent choking and to open his airways. She then delivered firm back blows to dislodge what may have obstructed his airway.

Almost immediately, the man expelled the fluids that caused him to choke. Visible signs of improvement followed, his breathing resumed, and the bluish discoloration in his face began to fade as oxygen flow was restored. “I felt a lot of relief once he stopped seizing and the color reappeared in his face,” said Faulk.,

Lance Cpl. Ethan Miller, also a combat photographer at the same unit, added, “After he started to come back mentally, he started to freak out a little bit. She tried to keep him calm and reassure him he was okay because he was really shaken up.”

Faulk remained by the man’s side, reassuring him and stabilizing him as he regained awareness. “The guy woke up from a seizure, and everyone is dressed up in costumes,” Faulk added, recalling it was on Halloween night. “It must have been a lot to take in.”

A moment later, another patron of the restaurant arrived on the scene.

“A nurse came from around the corner of the staircase and jumped in to assist the situation,” said Faulk. “I told her everything I had done up until that point.”

Faulk, who has been taking classes to become a certified medical assistant for the past year, demonstrated her developing medical training, but she explained, “I knew she was better trained than me at that moment and deferred to her.”

Soon after, a doctor appeared from the restaurant; it was at the point that Faulk decided to leave even before the paramedics arrived.

She said the man was in better hands with a practicing doctor and nurse than in her hands as a student.

According to witnesses and follow-up reports, the man was listed in stable condition and on the path to recovery. Faulk’s swift recognition of the emergency, combined with her medical training and decisive actions, helped save a man from potential death.