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The Military Education Entertainment Games

Training From America's Army Game Saved a Life 379

russoc4 writes "Most people who play the United States Army's freeware FPS sit through training simulations so that they may be able to get into the action and rack up some kills. The medic skills learned in the training allow you to heal teammates in the game, but it seems that they also apply in real life situations. According to Wired and the America's Army forums, 'a North Carolina man who saw an SUV flip and roll on a highway last November was able to provide medical aid to the victims with skills he learned from the America's Army.'" See? We learn things from videogames! Feign Death works sometimes, too.
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Training From America's Army Game Saved a Life

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  • Yeah! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:44PM (#22119462)
    Suck on THAT Jack Thompson.
  • YES!!! (Score:5, Funny)

    by AndGodSed ( 968378 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:45PM (#22119468) Homepage Journal
    Now I have a valid excuse to play violent games! Take that you game banning politicians!

    And yes I am being serious.
    • Re:YES!!! (Score:5, Funny)

      by samkass ( 174571 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:50PM (#22119518) Homepage Journal
      America's Army also helped me learn the exact angle at which to fire a 203 as soon as I come out of a tunnel near the bridge to hit the guys getting out of the convoy on the other side! And to close doors in people's faces if I think they have a grenade! And always fire machine guns into vents if I think there might be movement! AA is incredibly educational.
    • Re:YES!!! (Score:5, Funny)

      by Mr2cents ( 323101 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:56PM (#22119570)
      Why did he have to go through all that trouble? Were they too lazy to respawn, just like everybody else? Bah.
    • Re:YES!!! (Score:5, Funny)

      by Valar ( 167606 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:03PM (#22119646)
      Everyone knows that if the SUV driver hadn't learned to drive from GTA, then the vehicle wouldn't have flipped in the first place.
    • Re:YES!!! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Just Some Guy ( 3352 ) <kirk+slashdot@strauser.com> on Sunday January 20, 2008 @05:25PM (#22120406) Homepage Journal

      Now I have a valid excuse to play violent games!

      No. Now they have a valid excuse to ban violent games. I can hear it now: "We've been trying to tell you for years that doing something in a game can teach you how to do it real life. Today it was someone who learned how to save a life. Tomorrow it will be someone who learned how to take it."

      The worst part is they kind of have a point. Every time violence in games comes up, our first counter-argument has always been that games and reality are different and the skills don't translate across. So, what do we say now? It seems like we have a choice between claiming that this guy did not learn first aid from a video game, or that people only learn good skills from games. Both of those ring pretty hollow.

      And yes I am being serious.

      Sadly, so am I.

      • Re:YES!!! (Score:5, Interesting)

        by shystershep ( 643874 ) * <bdshepherd@gma i l .com> on Sunday January 20, 2008 @05:49PM (#22120656) Homepage Journal

        It's one thing for the skills to translate to real life-- the whole point of America's Army, after all, is a combat simulator. So you learn some first aid, and you also learn some combat tactics.

        The real question isn't whether the game gives you knowledge, but whether the game makes you more likely to do something you wouldn't do otherwise. Do you have more of an inclination to find people to bandage after doing it in game? Probably not, no more than you would be more inclined to shoot somebody.

      • Re:YES!!! (Score:5, Insightful)

        by cp.tar ( 871488 ) <cp.tar.bz2@gmail.com> on Sunday January 20, 2008 @05:53PM (#22120680) Journal

        The worst part is they kind of have a point. Every time violence in games comes up, our first counter-argument has always been that games and reality are different and the skills don't translate across. So, what do we say now? It seems like we have a choice between claiming that this guy did not learn first aid from a video game, or that people only learn good skills from games. Both of those ring pretty hollow.

        I would disagree with one little bit: skills do translate across. Behaviour needn't.

        Any skill you learn in any kind of context will translate across. Behaviour depends on a greater number of factors.

      • Re:YES!!! (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Draek ( 916851 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @06:37PM (#22121002)

        So, what do we say now? It seems like we have a choice between claiming that this guy did not learn first aid from a video game, or that people only learn good skills from games. Both of those ring pretty hollow.

        Or, we could claim that you only learn stuff applicable in real-life from games that are as anal about realism as America's Army is. Dunno how it is nowadays, but back when I played it (when they still had a Linux version), to get to play as a medic you had to attend an in-game class (which was quite long), and then take a test about what they'd taught you in it. Pretty f'in far from the likes of GTA, which are the usual targets of anti-videogames propaganda.

        It wouldn't surprise me either to hear about some guy being able to fly a small plane without formal training if he had played Flight Simulator for years with a specialized controller, whereas I *would* be surprised if he had managed to do so after just a couple of weeks playing Battlefield 1942 and UT2004.

  • by Invidious ( 106932 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:46PM (#22119488)
    See? Things like this are what make that MMO that NASA's considering developing less-than-ridiculous.
  • by FlatCatInASlatVat ( 828700 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:47PM (#22119500)
    And if anything goes wrong, the guy AND the game makers will get sued for millions.
    • by wiredog ( 43288 )
      It's usually pretty tough to sue someone for trying to help out.
      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        Too bad people can sue you for anything these days... and win.
      • Like hospitals? (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        I've heard a ton of stories about lawsuits against doctors / hospitals due to negligance or whatever the lawyer wants to call it.

        If I were a doctor in America I wouldn't go near a dying patient. I'd be bound to get the blame. It's that old adage, you can do a thousand rights, but one wrong and you are disgraced. Sadly, in todays world, I'd probably just walk on by lest there be a lawsuit if I tried to help and failed.

        You know a lot of schools, and workplaces aren't even allowed to stock standard
    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Isaac-Lew ( 623 )
      I would like to think that a) North Carolina has a Good Samaritan law [wikipedia.org] and b) it would apply in this instance.
    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by BadHaggis ( 1179673 )

      And if anything goes wrong, the guy AND the game makers will get sued for millions.

      As far as rendering first aid to an accident victim, most states have a Good Samaritan law which exempts the person trying to render first aid from legal recourse. The game maker probably has some extremely small print disclaimer somewhere which states that they can not be held liable for anything in or resulting from participating in the game. It wouldn't suprise me if the disclaimer probably states something along the

      • by schnikies79 ( 788746 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:12PM (#22119734)
        It normally applies if you are certified in First Aid/CPR/AED.

        There are limits to what a non-certified person can do. At least thats I'm taught when I get re-certified every year, that it will prevent you from being sued under the good samaritan law, in Indiana at least.
        • Right. I'm "certified" for first aid but at a lower level and have no idea how I'd react in an emergency like this type of situation. I like to think that I wouldn't lock up and hopefully be able to find someone more capable than myself.
        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by besalope ( 1186101 )
          Yet if you're "certified" and identify that at an accident you become liable for the victims until EMS or professional aid arrives. If something happens to them (death or worse injury) whether or not it's your fault, your balls are still on the line. You can and most likely will be sued. This is why off-duty ems and doctors aren't always willing to respond to nearby incidents. Sure it'd be a nice fantasy world where we could help everyone and be safe, but this is America... Land of the Sued.
          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by wfeick ( 591200 )

            People are close on good samaritan laws, but not exact (at least going by what they've told me every time I've taken a first aid course here in California). There are two legal issues to consider.

            1. Once you begin providing aid, you must continue to provide aid until you can hand off to someone who is at least as qualified as you. This is why doctors don't like to get involved, because they are unable to hand off to any sort of EMT or medic, only to another doctor who is at least as qualified as them.
            2. Y
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by CodeBuster ( 516420 )
      Nope, most states have laws in place to protect "good samaratins" from legal reprecusions. Generally speaking, if you were genuinely trying to help and your help was not specifically denied or the victim was unable to respond one way or another then regardless of the outcome you will not be prosecuted or be held liable for trying to render assistance, however bumbling and ineffective that assistance may turn out to be, in good faith.
  • Propaganda (Score:3, Interesting)

    by david_craig ( 892495 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:50PM (#22119522) Homepage
    To me this seems like a propaganda story. Especially considering that the article mentions that this story comes from a press release.

    All in the name of making an army recruitment tool seem like a benefit to society.
    • Note how all replies to this post are marked as "Troll". Seems to me that the parent is a troll or at least flamebait.
    • So... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by ChePibe ( 882378 )
      Is the argument then that military recruiting is a detriment to society? Would you prefer conscription?
    • Re:Propaganda (Score:5, Interesting)

      by KKlaus ( 1012919 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @06:58PM (#22121194)
      Having played the game extensively, you can't tell me it's an effective recruiting tool. The first thing you realize when you play the game, is that you get killed. A lot. And reliably so, to the point that even the very best of the best players can't go more than 10 or 15 kills without getting shot.

      It's almost certainly not propaganda, because it sites a very specific and verifiable incident (and gives the guys name), but either way, it's harmless. No one's playing a game where they get shot all the time and then deciding they want some of that in the real world. The only reason AA is still around is because the Army is essentially the mother of all bureaucracies, and even useless projects frequently don't get cut.

      And as an aside, the medic training in the game IS informative. I now know not to give cold water to people suffering from heatstroke (apparently they can go into shock). ...And I know the difference between a BMP and a BTR.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:53PM (#22119540)
    The other day it was late at night and my car broke down. I had forgotten my phone and wallet, and needless to say I was SOL. But thanks to my "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" training, I quickly dispatched an old lady in a station wagon who stopped at a nearby traffic signal, and drove home. Thanks "Rock Star", you saved my a$$.
  • Basic First Aid (Score:5, Insightful)

    by maz2331 ( 1104901 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:55PM (#22119558)
    Everyone should know basic first aid techniques. They aren't difficult and can make a big difference in an emergency.

    At least learn how to control bleeding and perform CPR.
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by RealGrouchy ( 943109 )
      Indeed, and don't learn them (exclusively) from a video game. Learn them from a professional, who will also tell you your legal rights, responsibilities, and limitations as a first aid provider.

      The headline could just have been "man sued for improperly using first aid techniques he learned from a video game".

      - RG>
      • by teg ( 97890 )

        The headline could just have been "man sued for improperly using first aid techniques he learned from a video game".

        Can you be sued for e.g. trying to stop heavy bleeding or doing CPR in the US? And if so, can you be sued if you don't? (e.g. because you're afraid to be sued)

        • Re:Basic First Aid (Score:4, Informative)

          by plover ( 150551 ) * on Sunday January 20, 2008 @05:31PM (#22120456) Homepage Journal
          Technically, you can be sued for anything in this country. You could be sued for trying to stop the bleeding, or you could be sued for standing by and doing nothing.

          However, if you are going to sue for a stupid reason, your lawyer should be responsible for telling you that you are filing a frivolous case, and not to pursue it. Most lawyers wont take a paper-thin case, but some would rather try for the money. Pursuing frivolous lawsuits is a black mark against them, and if they do it too often they risk being disbarred.

    • by p0tat03 ( 985078 )
      Control bleeding yes - cleaning a wound and controlling bleeding until help arrives is often quite important, and can be useful anywhere, not only on the road but also in the office, at home, or just about and abroad. CPR though is another story. Incorrectly administered it can be more harmful than beneficial, and may in fact be deadly. IMHO it's a bit beyond what the average Joe should be expected to know about emergency aid.
  • The first aid training missions actually do cover some first aid basics that could save a life if its something simple enough.
  • by stormguard2099 ( 1177733 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:56PM (#22119576)
    He didn't go through sniper school too
  • Depends on the state (Score:3, Informative)

    by Lt.Hawkins ( 17467 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @03:56PM (#22119580) Homepage
    We have Good Samaritan laws that shield good samaritans acting in good faith from lawsuits.
    • by xigxag ( 167441 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:20PM (#22119798)
      In the US, anybody can be sued, and probably will be sued if their actions may in any way have contributed to someone's death. Good Samaritan laws only mean that after they've gone through the expense and humiliation of defending themselves, if a jury finds that they acted in good faith, they can't be held liable. N.B., outside of North America, Good Samaritan laws [wikipedia.org] usually denote an affirmative responsibility to assist someone in need in an emergency situation (as well as the pursuant lack of liability therefrom).

  • by syousef ( 465911 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:07PM (#22119688) Journal
    Human beings learn things in lots of different ways. People learn both correct and incorrect behaviour from watching TV for example. The trick is to learning how realistic the information and techniques you are getting are, and when they can actually be applied.

    For example it's easy to learn the wrong thing from a TV show. Try and play MacGyver for instance and things might go pear shaped. More subtley here in Australia the number for emergency services is 000, but we have had critically ill people receive delayed medical care because people have dialed 911 after watching American TV.

    Why should games be any different? They're interactive so if the simulation is accurate they should be better at teaching us how to react to a situation.

    However like television, usually the primary reason people play games is for entertainment not education. I'm not a betting man but I'd be surprised if you couldn't pick up many many more skills by doing a weekend firstaid course than by playing Americas Army.
    • True. . . but it's also true that, at least for MacGuyver, they were at least responsible enough to leave out critical ingredients or steps for dangerous things, and NOT leave things out for life-savers "improvised" for the show.
      • by syousef ( 465911 )
        True. . . but it's also true that, at least for MacGuyver, they were at least responsible enough to leave out critical ingredients or steps for dangerous things, and NOT leave things out for life-savers "improvised" for the show.

        Yes they made some rudimentary attempt but that doesn't mean that doing the things he did won't get you into trouble.

        I was watching a couple of episodes with my wife last night. The character fixed a brake canister gasket with a piece of PVC. Not recommended even for a temporary fix
    • by xaxa ( 988988 )
      "In 1991, the European Union established 1-1-2 as the universal emergency number for all its member states. In most E.U. countries, 1-1-2 is already implemented and can be called toll-free from any telephone or any cellphone. The GSM mobile phone standard designates 1-1-2 as an emergency number, so it will work on such systems even in North America. In the UK and Republic of Ireland, the number is 9-9-9 with 1-1-2 working in parallel." (from wikipedia)
      So maybe there will be a worldwide standard someday!
  • by Jeremy Erwin ( 2054 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:11PM (#22119726) Journal
    For those of you who haven't played AA, Medic Training consists of walking into a classroom, sitting down, looking at the screen, and listening to a lecture. Then you take a multiple choice exam. So, there's a real possibility of learning something.

    • by snl2587 ( 1177409 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:35PM (#22119936)
      This is the main reason I stopped playing AA. If I wanted to learn, I wouldn't be playing an FPS.
    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by erbbysam ( 964606 )
      If I remember correctly, when I played through all of the training to unlock everything a few years ago, all of the answers were available online and I just did something else while the lecture played... so much for learning how to dress a wound while I wanted to be shooting some terrorists.
    • Yeesh, reminds me of Under a Killing Moon [wikipedia.org] from waaay back. Apparently it was somewhat ground-breaking at the time on my 8MB 286DX2. Amazing graphics!

      Pong and "both ways in the snow" comments coming in 3, 2, 1...
    • USAF "Buddy Care" basic First Aid training is basically that, and it has saved its share of lives.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:23PM (#22119812)
    Similar thing happened to me but the outcome was not so good.

    A buddy of mine got knocked out when I threw a first aid kit and it hit him on the head.

    And the shock paddles only made things worse.
       
    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by kc2keo ( 694222 )
      Speaking of BF2...

      One day I was driving down the road when my car turned off. Turned out the timing belt snapped. Good thing I was a squad leader because I just requested a vehicle drop and the commander delivered right away. While I used that car a fellow teammate started to fix my other car with a "magic wrench".

      Before Patch 1.3 this was not possible for cars to be dropped. Thank goodness for this new gift from EA.

      Well, I think I killed the humor but I'll post this anyway... :-P
  • by edwardpickman ( 965122 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:24PM (#22119824)
    If flesh eating zombies attack my house they're seriously fucked.
  • by MBraynard ( 653724 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:28PM (#22119856) Journal
    BF2 encouraged me to become a medic. I played a lot of BF2 and BF2142 and always used the medic kit or the assault class with a medic loadout.

    It fostered in me a desire to obtain basic medical skills. Just as it is helpful to be able to revive your comrad in the game, I thought it would be helpful to be able to render real aid to a person in an accident.

    So I registered for an EMT-B certification class and after about 120 hours of class time and 24 hours of on-site training, I was qualified to take the exam and am now a certified EMT-B and considering pursing the certification all the way up to paramedic.

    I will do it only on a volunteer basis - I already have a profession - but it is a worthwile skill and I am glad I obtained it.

  • by SuperBanana ( 662181 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @04:32PM (#22119902)

    Paxton Galvanek pulled one of the passengers out of the smoking car, then found another bleeding heavily from his hand where his fingers had been lost during the crash.

    A very, very VERY important rule regarding assisting someone who is injured, and this applies to bike, pedestrian vs. car, car vs. car, and motorcycle accidents:

    Unless someone's life is in IMMEDIATE danger, do not move them, especially if they are unconscious. Immediate danger means the car is on fire, for example, AND unconscious. If the are in immediate danger but conscious, ASSIST them (ie, help open the door or smash the window, cut the belt, etc but let them move themselves. If they are in no danger but conscious, encourage them to LIE STILL; shock keeps them from feeling injuries. Leave everything you can to those trained in what to do.

    For example, the first thing bystanders LOVE to do is rip off a motorcyclist's helmet. Helmets are pretty snug and this causes a lot of pull on their neck/spine. If they've' got a neck/back injury, you can turn them from "I'll walk in a few weeks after an operation" to "I'll be in a wheelchair the rest of my life because you ripped apart my spinal cord trying to be a hero." The rule for helmets is simple: if they're breathing, it stays on. If they stop breathing, that takes priority. Some motorcycle riders are now installing inflatable bladders that harmlessly lift the helmet off their head and have a blood-pressure-cuff inflator attachment for the crew to use, and some ambulances are equipping themselves with the version that can be slipped up into the helmet.

    Many riders put labels on their helmets that say "DO NOT REMOVE MY HELMET UNLESS I HAVE STOPPED BREATHING" because all of the idiot bystanders who think it's important to do.

    Also: fire extinguishers are meant to be used to save people, not save cars. If you have someone trying to get out of a car that has a small fire in the engine compartment and you use up the extinguisher trying to put it out- now you have someone still in the car, a fire, and an empty extinguisher. If you have one, use it to protect people in the car should the fire spread far enough while someone else assists the occupants in getting out.

    • BAD ADVICE (Score:2, Informative)

      by Pentagram ( 40862 )
      Unless someone's life is in IMMEDIATE danger, do not move them, especially if they are unconscious

      This is contrary to my first aid training. The rule I learnt (and this was a first aid course taken less than a year ago) was that if you find someone unconscious, you put them in the recovery position if (or once) they're breathing. The risk of someone suffocating is greater than any potential damage you might do to them in moving them.

      I've just looked it up (DK First Aid Manual authorised by the British Red C
      • This is contrary to my first aid training. The rule I learnt (and this was a first aid course taken less than a year ago) was that if you find someone unconscious, you put them in the recovery position if (or once) they're breathing. The risk of someone suffocating is greater than any potential damage you might do to them in moving them.

        The advice is for bystanders, not trained medical personnel.

        Context: fun for the whole family!

      • Re:BAD ADVICE (Score:5, Informative)

        by Daniel Dvorkin ( 106857 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @06:46PM (#22121072) Homepage Journal
        It depends on the situation. If your manual doesn't explain that, then the organizations that wrote the manual need to write a better manual. (No disrespect to the groups you named, whose training has undeniably saved a lot of lives over the years.)

        A person who is unconscious due to drowning, poisoning (including alcohol overdose), or unknown reasons that do not obviously result from trauma (probably some internal medical condition, cardiovascular or neurological) certainly should be should be placed in the recovery position. But a person who is unconscious due to trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident or a fall or a blow to the head, emphatically should not be moved without proper equipment -- at least a cervical collar, preferably c-collar and backboard -- used by trained medical personnel. It takes a fair amount of trauma to the brain to cause unconsciousness in an otherwise healthy person, and the chance that the trauma involved also caused some spinal injury is very, very high.

        I'm speaking here as a former USAF medic and civilian EMT with ten years' experience in emergency response. If you don't believe me, ask any ER/Casualty doctor or nurse -- I guarantee you'll get the same answer.
      • by Tacvek ( 948259 )

        Unless someone's life is in IMMEDIATE danger, do not move them, especially if they are unconscious

        This is contrary to my first aid training. The rule I learnt (and this was a first aid course taken less than a year ago) was that if you find someone unconscious, you put them in the recovery position if (or once) they're breathing. The risk of someone suffocating is greater than any potential damage you might do to them in moving them.

        You may well have learned that. In actuality, the rolling of a person into that position is designed to have the least possible risk of spinal cord injuries. The course did though tell you not to move (as in drag them around, lift them, etc) unless absolutely necessary. (They are in imminent danger, or there is absolutely no possibility of assistance arriving in a useful time frame (for example out hiking in the woods, cell phone cannot connect to 911, and going to find help would result in a high risk of

    • Also: fire extinguishers are meant to be used to save people, not save cars. If you have someone trying to get out of a car that has a small fire in the engine compartment and you use up the extinguisher trying to put it out- now you have someone still in the car, a fire, and an empty extinguisher.

      On the other hand, if that fire gets to the fuel line, you could have a fuel tank explosion on your hands - it's not the fireball-o-rama that you see on TV, but it will throw the car into the air, and probably kil

  • ...a bullet hole in my head. No wait...bad example.
  • Everything I needed to know about warfare and life I learned from Metal Gear. Yeah, that's right. The original.

    You can infiltrate classified military installations by disguising yourself as an innocuous cardboard box. There's nothing more indispensable than a pack of smokes. And nothing in the entire arsenal of the Military-Industrial Complex is as singularly lethal as a ninja.
  • Two guys, one case undocumented, learn crappy, inadequate first aid from a crappy, simulated lecture in America's Army and it gets a write up, even though the game is about efficiently killing people. I think that's terribly misleading, if not propaganda.

    Great, he elevated the arm, but I hope he had good reason to move that other guy, because that was *really* dangerous (I'm hoping the smoke was in the passenger compartment and it was truly required, otherwise the guy should be smacked, not praised).

    But did
  • We need some novelists, educators, engineers, and coders to recast the old trivium [wikipedia.org] and quadrivium [wikipedia.org] as games so that kids can do something valuable like "learn" without doing something boring like "learn".
  • by stormguard2099 ( 1177733 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @05:47PM (#22120610)
    don't take first aid advice from /. comments. go get training or information from a more reputable source

    note: +5 informative doesn't mean it's reputable
  • Nah. (Score:4, Funny)

    by morari ( 1080535 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @06:17PM (#22120844) Journal
    What they really mean by "America's Army saved a life" is that someone played the game and, based on that experience, realized how dumb it would be to enlist in the U.S. Army just to die for some greedy politicians' personal crusade.
  • kill a million. I call THAT a game... oh wait...
  • by MrCopilot ( 871878 ) on Sunday January 20, 2008 @09:12PM (#22122210) Homepage Journal
    Do not shoot the CO.
  • Bullshit Puff Piece? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by LKM ( 227954 ) on Monday January 21, 2008 @02:45AM (#22124154)
    As readers on kotaku.com found out, that is possibly a planted puff piece and might not have actually happened at all:

    I went online to find other coverage of this story to see what kind of spin was being put on it. Searching for Paxton Galvanek returned no news results. However, it did point out that he's the president of a marketing firm in New Jersey. Given that the headline mentions "press release" and how there's no source link, I'm going to call this a plant. Unfortunately, I doubt this really happened. It would be good if it did, but given that no news agencies (not even local news) have covered it, and the hero in question is an advertising engine, I'm taking the whole thing with a grain or two of salt.
    http://kotaku.com/346176/americas-army-player-saves-real-life#c3777221 [kotaku.com]

    Not to mention that pulling somebody from a car without first figuring out what their injuries are is a fucking bad idea, unless the car is about to explode (hint: it isn't, unless you're in a movie).

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