David Watson had two dreams growing up as a kid on
the northwest side of Chicago - to become a Marine and a Chicago police
officer.
He achieved both within 10 years of his graduation
from Moscow Senior High School.
Watson, a former sergeant previously assigned to
Marine Corps Recruiting Station Harrisburg, Pa., as a supply clerk,
became one of Chicago’s finest during a Chicago Police Academy
graduation ceremony at Chicago’s Navy Pier Jan. 22.
After making his first round of congratulatory
handshakes from Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, Marine Capt. Matthew W.
Crocker, his former executive officer, and several of the Chicago Police
Department’s bureau chiefs, Watson was brought back on stage to receive
the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions June 25, 2005.
According to the award citation, signed by Gen.
Michael W. Hagee, the 33rd Commandant of the Marine Corps, Watson
observed smoke in the distance and immediately proceeded to the source
of the smoke, only to find a downed aircraft containing the pilot and
his wife and children.
With flames beginning to consume the aircraft,
Watson instinctively ran into the burning wreckage, grabbed the pilot
and pulled him to safety. Immediately after grabbing the pilot, the
aircraft exploded.
Watson shielded the pilot from the explosion with
his own body, and smothered flames that were consuming the pilot’s
clothing. After aiding the pilot to his feet and away from the crash
site, a large propane tank exploded.
By his unyielding fighting spirit and prompt
courageous actions in the face of extreme adversity, grave danger and
life threatening conditions, Watson prevented the loss of life, thereby
reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest
traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service,
according to the citation.
The Navy and Marine Corps medal is the highest
award for heroism in a non-combat situation. However, Watson still
abides by the oath he swore to protect his country, home and abroad.
“It (the oath) doesn’t just mean overseas. It’s
anywhere, anytime,” said Watson, who enlisted out of Marine Corps
Recruiting Substation North Center, Marine Corps Recruiting Station
Chicago.
Watson now finds himself serving and protecting
the citizens of Chicago as a member of the Chicago Police Department -
something he says the Marine Corps has prepared him for very well.
“It’s really no different than being a Marine.
Cops get deployed every day to the streets, they just get to come home
at the end of the day,” said the 27-year-old rookie cop.
“The discipline, the mental toughness and physical
fitness helped me big time. As a Marine, the (Academy) recruits look to
you for a little more guidance,” said Watson, who found himself filling
the role of mentor for some of his classmates.
While the Corps has provided Watson with the skill
set necessary for success in the Chicago Police Department, he does
acknowledge a difference in serving as a Marine and a police officer.
“When you prepare to deploy, sometimes you have to
view everyone as a potential enemy. Being a police officer means being
much more community-oriented. Not everyone is a bad guy,” he said.
With a 3-year-old son and another child on the
way, Watson says that he will look to his newlywed bride, Desiree, for
support and comfort when he returns home from the streets of Chicago,
and compared it to the family support system available to Marines who
return from combat.
“We need them to talk about our hardships,” he
said.
With the Chicago Bears’ NFC Championship victory
Jan. 21, his Navy Marine Corps Medal and hard-earned spot among the
Chicago’s finest, Watson says he couldn’t ask for a better weekend.
“It still doesn’t feel real,” he said.