By Petty Officer 3rd Class Aaron Rolle, USS Essex (LHD 2)
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. – U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Navaeh Funderburk, assigned to Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), received the National City Police Department’s first Citizen Meritorious Service Medal during an awards ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in National City, California, Sept. 29, 2026.
The Citizen Meritorious Service Medal is awarded to private citizens for meritorious service involving possible risk of injury, an act of meritorious service, or for a noteworthy contribution, which exemplifies and fulfills the Police Department’s objectives.
“I was informed by the police department that the award was in their instruction, but they haven’t had a medal for it,” said Funderburk. “When they heard about what I did, they chose me to award me as the first citizen in the city to win the medal.”
National City Police Department presented Funderburk the medal for her actions following a vehicle collision outside Naval Base San Diego, Aug.11, 2025.
“I was driving to work after weekend duty, eating my protein bar, when I saw shattered motorcycle parts and a man lying in a ditch,” said Funderburk. “As I pulled over to the shoulder, another Sailor and a pedestrian were trying to help the motorcyclist.”
Funderburk worked alongside the other Sailor and pedestrian and used her uniform belt as an improvised tourniquet in order to save the injured motorcyclist’s life before first responders arrived on scene.
“He looked up at us like he was trying to wrap his head around the situation,” Funderburk said. “We were able to stop the bleeding and keep the motorcyclist calm until the ambulance arrived.”
According to National City Police, doctors informed them had it not been for Funderburk’s actions the motorcyclist could have lost his life.
“She did a great job hopping into action and stabilizing the injury,” said National City Police Department Lt. Kenneth Springer. “Her efforts helped save a man’s life that day.”
Funderburk said she was able to rely on her long training and prior experience to help save a life during a real-world, high-stress scenario.
“I’m proud of myself,” said Funderburk. “In medical, we’re constantly drilling casualty events almost every day. After this event, it put into perspective just how important these drills are. I never thought that it would lead to an award like this. To be recognized for this, even though it’s my job as a corpsman, it’s a good feeling to have.”
