Ryan Blackwell enlisted in the Navy in 2017 on a Warrior Challenge Program contract and began special forces training immediately after completing boot camp. During his training, Blackwell suffered severe injuries that included a drowning where he was resuscitated back to life and a shattered wrist requiring reconstructive surgery. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was to medically retire from the Navy. While Blackwell was awaiting his retirement, he worked for 18 months in an administrative position at the Naval Aviation Schools Command, working with the International Military Training Office at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. On the morning of December 6, 2019, a Saudi flight student, who was later deemed to be part of Al-Qaeda, opened fire at NAS Pensacola. The first terrorist attack on US soil by a foreign national since September 11th, 2001. During the shooting, Blackwell shielded a fellow service members from gunfire with his body and was shot six times. Despite life-threatening injuries and a paralyzed right arm, he managed to remove an air conditioning unit from a window and helped his colleagues, both of whom were injured, escape to safety and provided them with first aid. Blackwell established a means of transportation to safety. His heroism continued during transport to the hospital by a local Sheriff’s deputy, he provided first aid to another shooting victim while enroute to the hospital. Blackwell used his elbow to stop the lose of blood from a wound to the femoral artery. For his actions, Blackwell received the Purple Heart for Valor and the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism by the Navy. Narrative submitted with enrollment