New Jersey National Guard Soldiers honored for aiding accident victims

Four New Jersey Army National Guard Soldiers upheld the National Guard's motto, “Always Ready, Always There” by providing aid to a family after a head-on car collision.
On May 15, 2026, three Soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment, 44thInfantry Brigade Combat Team, were returning to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, when a truck swerved into their lane and hit the car in front them.
U.S. Army platoon leader 2nd Lt. Anthuanet C. Gomez-Blacido immediately pulled over and Spc. Jahsiear W. Scott, a signal tactical net specialist, called 911, while fire support officer 2nd Lt. Sean M. Lukowski ran to the car to assess the situation and render aid.
Lukowski began by getting the driver out and then moved to the woman in the passenger seat whose pinned leg trapped her in the car. She directed Lukowski’s attention to her baby in the back seat. He passed the baby to Gomez-Blacido who gave the child to the father. Gomez-Blacido kept the woman engaged and conscious while Lukowski moved on to the other vehicle.
The truck driver, who was able to remove himself, told Lukowski there were no one else in the vehicle.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Alexis Colon, a platoon sergeant with the 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment, arrived, managed the growing crowd, and assisted the father with his baby. The fire department extracted the mother from the vehicle and transported the family by air ambulance from the scene.
Gomez-Blacido, Lukowski, and Scott stayed behind to give statements to the police as they were the only witnesses to the crash.
On July 24, U.S. Army Col. Omar Minott, commander, 44thInfantry Brigade Combat Team, presented Gomez-Blacido, Colon, Lukowski, and Scott Army Achievement Medals in front of their fellow Soldiers during their unit’s annual training at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.