Marine Staff Sgt. Matthew Nowak

On May 22, 2015, Staff Sgt. Matthew Nowak saw a fellow recruiter reach into a bag and realized that the man was going to pull out a pistol to shoot himself.

Nowak, a helicopter airframe mechanic currently assigned to Recruiting Substation Wyandotte, Michigan, jumped up and ran over to his fellow Marine. He grabbed his comrade’s hand and told him to let go of the pistol. The man held onto it for a bit before finally dropping it.

Nowak, the father of four, said he was so focused on stopping the Marine from killing himself that he did not think about getting shot in the process. The Marine whom Nowak saved is still in the Corps and is slated to join an operational unit. He constantly thanks Nowak for intervening.

In addition to his day job, Nowak serves as a mentor for local school children, said his wife Tracy. “He takes time out of his day to keep them out of trouble and will spend quality time with them so they can finish school and become amazing Marines,” she said.

Nowak also spends a few hours each week volunteering at a Veterans Affairs homeless shelter and helping with the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program each winter. Around Christmastime, Nowak also “adopted” five families in need and donated toys to them.

“I’m from this area, and there’s people that need help all the time,” he said.

Notable quote: “I was a sergeant at the time [my colleague attempted suicide]. I told him: ‘I don’t care if you’re a staff sergeant. If you don’t let go of it, I’m going to beat your ass.’ I’m sorry for the vulgar language. At the time, that’s what came out.”