First Sergeants: An Angel in Uniform

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Megan M. Tracy
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  It was a warm late summer day in September 2008. The sun was shining overhead and a warm breeze was softly ruffling the leaves on the trees. Former Senior Airman Phillip Myles, an Information Manager with the 2d Maintenance Operations Squadron, and his girlfriend were outside enjoying the sunshine during a playful game of basketball when a wayward shot went flying. Airman Myles laughed and chased after the ball in an attempt to show off, but when he bent down to pick up the ball, instead of grabbing it and continuing the game, Airman Myles collapsed. 

"I suddenly collapsed and went into cardiac arrest," Mr. Myles said. "I was outside playing with my girlfriend when I had a heart attack and a grand mal seizure. I was rushed to the hospital where I was in a coma for two days and a patient until the middle of October." 

By all accounts, Mr. Myles was a healthy, active young man. According to his best friend Staff Sgt. Katie Huntington, a fellow Information Manager at the 2d Maintenance Operations Squadron, there were no indicators that something like this would happen to him. 

"He was a healthy 23-year-old," she said. "He played basketball every day, he didn't like chocolate, and he ate salads and drank water all the time. If you looked at him you couldn't tell that anything was going to happen to him." 

Mr. Myles had a long road to recovery ahead of him. His brain was deprived of oxygen for more than thirty minutes, and he suffered from amnesia, headaches, temporary blindness and difficulty walking. 

"After I left the hospital I got sent to Touchstone, a neurology center in Cairo, Texas," said Mr. Myles. "Touchstone is a place where they help people with brain surgery. I stayed there until Jan. 17 when I was sent back to Shreveport to start working again. But then the Air Force decided to temporarily retire me effective May 31." 

Through the entire ordeal Mr. Myles' friends and family rallied around him for support. But, for Mr. Myles and Sergeant Huntington, one familiar face in particular stands out. The 2d MOS First Sergeant, Master Sgt. Keisha Yarbrough, their very own angel in uniform. 

"Sergeant Yarbrough was a tremendous help," said Mr. Myles. "She helped me with everything. She took me to all my appointments everyday with a smile on her face. She helped my parents get settled in, took them out to dinner, kept them company and helped them with their grieving stage. That was what really touched my heart. My mother and father didn't know anyone and she came and kept them company." 

"Sergeant Yarbrough was there every single day," said Sergeant Huntington. "Our shop is like a family, so if one person's not there, it's like you're missing a part of you--a part of your life. It's changed. It's like, 'Wait, have Myles do it,' but when we look over, he's not there. Master Sgt. Yarbrough kept us updated on what was going on with him and she kept us all together. Without her I think we would have all fallen apart. I don't know what we would have done without her." 

After months of asking God why he was chosen to go through something like this, Mr. Myles says he thinks he has found the reason. 

"My parents have become more involved in each other," he said. "Me as a man, my whole attitude has changed. I'm definitely more caring towards people who need help. Sometimes I go to the Boys and Girls Club and talk to the little kids and tell them they should be grateful for their family." 

For the Airmen of the 2d MOS, September 2008 was a month of uncertainty, but with the help of Sergeant Yarbrough, they made it through -- together. 

"I just want to say thank you," said Sergeant Huntington, "Without her, we probably wouldn't have made it through that time. She's a rock when you need someone to lean on. She's always strong and it's always good to have someone like that in your life."

After the incident, Mr. Myles was fitted with a pacemaker defibulator and put on temporary retirement from the Air Force. First sergeants are trained to be the voice of Airmen and to help in times of need. Mr. Myles' life was changed in a matter of minutes, but Sergeant Yarbrough was there to help him through every step of the way.