MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A School of Infantry Marine received a Navy Achievement Medal here May 3 for saving his best friend's life on May 2.

Lance Corporal Matthew L. Sugrue, administration chief, operations, Headquarters and Support Battalion, gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to LCpl. John Nuno, motor transport operator, SOI, after Nuno stopped breathing.

Nuno was in his room at the SOI barracks when he called Sugrue on the phone at 6:30 a.m and woke him up saying he was having chest pains and trouble breathing.

Sugrue immediately ran downstairs to Nuno's room.

When Sugrue knocked on the door, there was no answer. "Luckily, Nuno had already unlocked it," Sugrue said.

He found Nuno lying face-down on the floor.

"By the looks of everything, he had just fallen," Sugrue said. "The table was pushed aside, the lamp was knocked over, and his phone was on the floor in pieces."

Sugrue turned him over and saw that Nuno's skin was pale and his lips were bluish purple.

"I checked his pulse, and he had one," Sugrue said. "Then I checked to see if he was breathing, and he was not."

Sugrue tilted Nino's head, cleared his mouth, plugged his nose, and gave him a breath of air.

"His chest rose, but I had to give him about three or four breaths before he started breathing again," Sugrue said.

After Nuno was breathing on his own, Sugrue stayed for a while to make sure he was all right before running to the duty hut to ask for an ambulance.

The ambulance came approximately 20 minutes later and took Nuno to the hospital.

"I still feel a little bit light-headed and short of breath," said Nuno. "The doctors say I have a back-flow of blood in one of my heart valves, but they are still doing a lot of tests."

Nuno has a history of heart problems.

"Something similar to this happened one time in Las Vegas, but the doctors have not determined his problem," Sugrue said. "I want them to find out what's wrong with him and help him. I don't care about the recognition for saving him."
Sugrue's co-workers say he is not an average Marine.

"We've always had confidence in him; Sugrue is a lance corporal holding a staff NCO billet," said GySgt. Alphozo A. Stackhouse, webmaster. "He did what a Marine would do: the right thing at the right time."

Even though Segrue is young, his fellow Marines respect him.

"We've always known Lance Corporal Sugrue was a hero," said 1stLt. John W. Hahn, executive officer. "I have nothing but positive things to say about him."

He said it's good he and Nuno are so close - and that Nuno thought to call him.
"I was lucky enough he called me, so I could be there," Sugrue said. "If he had not called me, he could have been dead. He knew that no matter what, I would be there for him. I was glad I saved him. And I know he would do the same for me."
Sugrue learned CPR in college and was certified in 1998.

"I never thought I'd have to use CPR," Sugrue said. "Then I saved my best friend's life with it."

Sugrue said they hang out together all the time and look out for each other like family.

"I feel like he's my brother," Nuno said. "I'm ecstatic to say he was there for me when I needed him the most. He's always been there for me."

Nuno had a grandmother who passed away in 1989.

"Ever since then, I've always felt that she's been my guardian angel," said Nuno. "I know she was there with me during this attack, because I saw her. She gave me the strength to pick up the phone and call my best friend for help. I'm just grateful to be alive."