Marine honored in Okinawa for helping save life of Japanese restaurant worker

An Okinawa-based Marine who provided life-saving aid to a Japanese restaurant worker earlier this spring received a medal for his actions.

Cpl. Dominick Bonner, a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense specialist with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Camp Foster, received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Honor on June 8, according to a statement from the Navy released after the ceremony.

Bonner, of Parkville, Md., Was celebrating his wife’s birthday over breakfast at an off-base restaurant on April 4 when he was told an employee needed medical attention, the statement said.

The man was lying in the kitchen area, motionless and without a pulse, the statement said. Bonner began the chest compressions, replacing one of the man’s tired colleagues.

He provided life-saving assistance for more than 10 minutes until paramedics arrived and took him to a nearby hospital, the statement said.

Cpl. Dominick Bonner received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Honor at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, June 8, 2021. Bonner, a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense specialist with 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, helped save the life of a restaurant worker earlier this spring. (Alex Fairchild / United States Marine Corps)

Information on the man’s illness and his current status was not available on Wednesday.

The Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Commendation is awarded to service members who distinguish themselves by “heroic or meritorious achievement or service”, according to the criteria of the medal.

Bonner is the kind of Marine you want by your side, according to Gunnery Sgt. Joshua Malchow, CBRN Defense Operations Coordinator for the 1st MAW.

“He is the definition of an exceptional non-commissioned officer, and the fact that he handled this situation the way he did does not surprise me,” he said in the statement.

Bonner said he did what any Marine would have done.

“It is about looking after our brothers and sisters of humanity,” he said in the statement. “He needed help, and there was no way I would step back and watch him die.”

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