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Quick-Thinking Ridgewood High Cadet Honored

Suncoast News photo by KLINT LOWRY

With Ridgewood High School teacher Tom Moschner, left, his daughter Emily Moschner, principal Randy Koenigsfeld, right, and his fellow NJROTC cadets in attendance, Benjamin Rupe is congratulated by Lt. Cmdr. Naval Science Instructor Jim Stauffer for earning the Meritorious Achievement Ribbon, the highest honor an NJROTC cadet can earn. Rupe used the Heimlich maneuver, something he had learned as a cadet, on Emily Moschner when she was choking on a piece of chicken.

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By KLINT LOWRY

The Suncoast News

Published: November 5, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Emily Moschner didn't choke because Benjamin Rupe didn't choke.

Rupe, 18, a senior at Ridgewood High School, is a cadet lieutenant commander in the school's Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp program.

He's picked up a lot in his years in NJROTC - discipline, personal accountability and confidence - and some first aid training.

All that came to bear in an incident Aug. 22, and Rupe's conduct in the face of a sudden emergency was enough to earn him the highest decoration a cadet can receive, the Meritorious Achievement Ribbon.

"This is only the fifth one I've given out in eight years," said Lt. Cmdr. Jim Stauffer, senior instructor of Ridgewood's highly regarded NJROTC program. It's the first time one of his cadets was awarded the ribbon for a life-saving situation, he added.

Rupe was out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant with fellow student Emily Moschner and her parents. Her dad, Tom Moschner, is a teacher at Ridgewood.

Just a few minutes after their entrees arrived, Emily took a bite of her burrito, and a piece of chicken became lodged in her windpipe. Emily said she didn't even quite realize the severity of the situation. She was having trouble getting the bite down, but was hesitant to draw attention to herself.

"I was almost embarrassed, because I was at a restaurant," she said. "It was a really scary feeling."

She didn't clutch her throat, like in the movies, but she did put her hand up, like she was trying to help push the food down. She may not have realized it, but she was exhibiting enough that everyone at the surrounding tables could see she was in some level of distress.

"I thought Emily was going to be sick," Tom Moschner said, "that her food was going to come up."

Rupe's NJROTC first aid training included a segment on choking, and he recognized signs that the situation was more serious.

"If they're making noise, technically they aren't choking," Rupe said. To make noise, air has to be getting through.

But Emily was not making any noise. Nothing was coming out, and he saw when she tried to take a sip of water, none of it would go down.

When her face started to turn red, that clinched it; this was a choking situation.

"He noticed it right away, he went around, gave her the Heimlich maneuver, the food came out and she was breathing again," Tom Moschner said.

The entire incident lasted only a few moments, and Ben acted very quickly, Moschner added. Emily had a sore throat for several days, but essentially came away from the moment unscathed.

Word of the incident got back to Stauffer, who passed it on to his superior, Cmdr. Dirk Hebert, NJROTC Area Seven manager. Hebert concluded Rupe's quick and effective action warranted the Meritorious Achievement Ribbon.

"Cadet Rupe demonstrated exceptional maturity and composure beyond his years," Hebert wrote in his official proclamation.

"Through this outstanding accomplishment, Cadet Rupe reflected great credit on himself, his unit, his school and the NJROTC program."

Rupe's NJROTC training paid off in a big way that evening, proof of his level of commitment to the program. With high school graduation a matter of months away, he said a military career is one of the options he is considering.

For the time being, though, that's a backup option, he said. His first love is music, and he wants to give that a serious try first.

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