Alex LoRusso, one of the two victims of a car collision saved by Sgt. Joseph Howard, a Yonkers, New York native and an infantry mortarman with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, poses for a photo with Howard, at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, Dec. 9, 2022. The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the highest non-combatant decoration awarded. On Dec 30, 2017, at the time a lance corporal, Howard witnessed a car collision between four vehicles. Victims were trapped in a vehicle that had flipped eight times over a distance of 300 feet. Howard extracted the two unconscious victims from the car that continued to leak fuel. As he moved the second victim to safety, the vehicle was engulfed in flames and exploded. He then reassessed their injuries and provided life-saving first aid until first responders arrived. By his bold initiative and unwavering dedication to duty, Lance Cpl. Howard reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and United States Naval Service. LoRusso suffered severe life-threatening injuries but despite the circumstances he was able to recover and is now thriving.