Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Kevin Varas de Valdes was recently awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his selfless and decisive actions in performing CPR on an unresponsive man at a TCU football game last semester.
January 29, 2025
By TCU Neeley School of Business
Even before joining the Professional MBA program as a graduate student in the fall, Kevin Varas de Valdes proudly supported the Horned Frogs. He’s been a long-time season ticket holder at football games, and while attending a game this past season performed lifesaving measures on a man who became unresponsive.
In recognition of his actions, Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Valdes was recently presented with the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal by the Commanding Office of the Marine Aircraft Group 41 Headquarters.
On November 23, 2024, Valdes and his girlfriend were watching TCU compete against the Arizona Wildcats. During the second quarter of the game, he heard a woman about three rows away calling for help with her husband, who was unresponsive.
“I saw a gentleman slumped over and I immediately went to him. I laid him on the bench and began administering CPR. He woke up after the third recovery compression,” said Valdes. While waiting for the paramedics to arrive, Valdes said he continued to talk with the man while comforting the man’s wife and their teenage son.
“I was really just in the right place at the right time,” Valdes said, who is an enlisted Marine and serves as the unit's training chief. He is also a first-year graduate student in the TCU Neeley School of Business.
The citation recognizing Valdes for his quick thinking and speedy response to “prevent what could have been a potentially fatal scenario and ultimately facilitated the preservation of life.”
Since that day, Valdes has not seen the man he performed CPR on. While waiting on the paramedics to arrive, Valdes said the man told him that he’s also a season ticket holder. If they don’t connect sooner, there’s always next football season.
