RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- One minute, it was just another beach day. The next, it was a life-or-death moment.
The morning heat had already settled along the Gulf coast, April 25, the air filled with the shouts of volleyball players and the thud of dodgeballs striking their targets. It was the kind of day meant for letting the world’s worries drift with the tide. Special Agent Rogelio Ruiz had come to Treasure Island, Florida, for that kind of escape.
"It was just supposed to be a day of helping out, nothing too intense," Ruiz said. "I wasn't expecting to have to jump into action."
The AFOSI 4th Field Investigations Region Action Officer was on leave, reconnecting with his fiancée and son as a volunteer during on the beach. It was a corporate sporting event, where teams of coworkers swapped conference calls for friendly competition.
But amid the shouts and thuds of dodgeballs, a man in his fifties stumbled forward and collapsed face-first into the sunbaked sand.
"It didn’t look like a particularly intense or physical game," Ruiz said. "My first thought was that maybe he was suffering from heat exhaustion or going into shock."
Either way, Ruiz didn’t hesitate. His mind snapped into focus as he crossed the makeshift court.
“At first, I didn't know why he fell," Ruiz said. "But then my training kicked in. I ran to him, rolled him onto his back to get his face out of the sand, and started checking for signs of life. I checked for a pulse -neck, wrist, femoral- nothing,”
That’s when he started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and told bystanders to call 911 and find an automated external defibrillator (AED). The man’s heart had stopped.
But for Ruiz, the instinct to act under pressure wasn’t new.
Training meets crisis
Before joining the Air Force in 2008, Ruiz had been a pre-med student at the University of Texas at Brownsville, building the foundation of the medical instincts that would guide him through his career.
In 2013, five years before joining AFOSI, he deployed to Afghanistan with the 7th Special Forces Group, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was stationed at a remote outpost with minimal medical support, where the realities of combat trauma were a daily challenge.
“Forward operating bases are extremely small, isolated posts with limited medical staff,” he said. “We didn’t have a full hospital. It was just two doctors and two nurses on our FOB.”
When a firefight left more than 20 Afghan National Army soldiers wounded, helicopters rushed them to the FOB’s small surgical center, quickly overwhelming the few medics on site. Ruiz, with his pre-med background, was pulled in to assist.
“I helped with IVs, took notes and assisted during triage,” he said. “I wasn’t doing surgeries, but when the doctors were calling out injuries and vitals, I was there to document and stabilize patients however I could.”
That experience, combined with his military training in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), formed the foundation for his calm, precise response on April 25.
Built for the moment
Back on Treasure Island, those same instincts took over.
Ruiz leaned into each compression, his knees grinding into the hot sand, silently counting in rhythm. It was a surreal moment, he said, but one where every second counts.
When paramedics finally arrived, Ruiz stepped back, giving them room to take over. As they loaded him onto a stretcher, Ruiz caught his breath and hoped his efforts had made a difference.
“What makes Special Agent Ruiz’s actions so remarkable is that it perfectly embodies our Air Force Core Values and reflect the very best of our agency,” said Col. Lee Ballard Jr., AFOSI 4 FIR commander. “He didn’t hesitate, he didn’t wait for someone else to act- he stepped up and took charge.”
Returning to San Antonio, Texas, Ruiz couldn’t shake the experience.
“I kept wondering if he survived,” he said. “I looked him up on social media and saw a picture of him with his granddaughter. That got to me.”
Ruiz reached out to the man’s wife through a message.
“She said he was in the ICU but stable,” he said. “He had suffered a massive heart attack and had two stents placed in his heart. That’s when I finally felt some relief.”
Two weeks after the incident, Ruiz was part of a quiet ceremony at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, where Ballard presented him with an Air and Space Commendation Medal. In addition, Chief Master Sgt. James Hoy, AFOSI command chief, recognized him for his life-saving actions.
“Special Agent Ruiz’s actions are a powerful example for all of us,” Hoy said. “It’s a reminder that whether we’re on the front lines or on leave at home, our training and commitment to service doesn’t take a day off. We must always be ready, because you never know when you’ll be the one who must step up.”