MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- At first glance, Cpl. Michael J. Carter, 6-feet-4, 225 pounds, resembles an intimidating middle linebacker.
Sometimes though, the most imposing figures have the biggest hearts - something Carter proved when he performed CPR and revived 11-month-old Diego Palacios while riding through Oceanside, Calif., last month.
Carter and another Marine were traveling down Mission Avenue Sept. 28. Their original mission was to pick up Carter's dirt bike from a shop, but that all changed when they saw two apparently distraught women clutching a baby on the sidewalk.
At first, the Marines didn't think anything of it. Then they saw a distressed man talking on a cell phone and immediately took action.
They pulled their vehicle alongside the curb and jumped out. Carter dashed across Mission Avenue and someone asked if he knew CPR. Carter had taken four lifesaving courses, but this was the first time he had to use the skills.
Carter, a crew chief with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, took the infant and placed him on a patch of grass.
While Carter attended to the infant, his friend guided medical personnel to the scene.
Carter saw the motionless infant wasn't breathing. The boy's head was burning up and his eyes had rolled back into his head.
"It was kind of weird and spooky because the infant was just completely lifeless," Carter said. "I went to open the boy's mouth, but I couldn't - it was frozen shut. One of the few things I was able to remember at that moment from past lifesaving courses was to breathe through his nose.?
Carter did, and the infant responded. He began breathing and his eyes rolled back into place.
Medical personnel soon arrived and took the infant to Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside. Medical staff determined the baby had suffered a seizure and would likely have died without Carter's timely assistance, according to Capt. Charles A. Lumpkin, S-1 officer for HMM-364.
"Saving a life feels good, but it definitely reminded me that I need a refresher CPR course," said Carter, who is married with a 7-month-old infant.
Capt. Daniel B. Smith, aviation safety officer for HMM-364, said Carter's application of training as a crew chief saved Diego?s life.
"As a crew chief, he is trained to be calm under all situations. It doesn't surprise me at all that Cpl. Carter was calm and collected," Smith said.
Smith said the episode underscores the importance of CPR training.
"The goal of the Marine Corps Air Station medical department is to have everyone trained in some sort of combat lifesaving instruction in the near future," Smith said.
The Palacios' are appreciative of Carter, who enjoys dirt biking, football and basketball. He has visited Diego in the hospital and called the family for updates on his progress.
"Marines are great people because they save lives, even when they are off duty," said Carlos Rojas, Diego's cousin.