My name is Jose Jauregui. I am a U.S Navy veteran, and I served from July 16, 1990 - July 15, 1994 and was honorably discharged.
During my four years in service I served in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Southern Watch and Operation Restore Hope off the coast of Somalia. I was an aviation boatswain mate fuels petty officer 3rd Class crew leader serving onboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger CV-61 and USS Constellation CV-64, both home-ported in Coronado, Calif.
A month after returning back from Desert Storm we were off the coast of San Diego performing training operations. While working on the flight deck on July 19, 1991, I was refueling a F18 fighter jet during flight operations. I had my back toward aircraft landing when a A6 Intruder attempted to land. The tail hook of the A6 Intruder caught the arresting gear wire, but broke off causing the pilot to eject and careening the aircraft directly toward me. I was somehow able to escape death by diving into the catwalk while the A-6 Intruder crashed into the aircraft I was refueling, causing fuel to spill all over the flight deck. While in the catwalk I was showered by debris from the aircraft and had to ball myself up in the fetal position while the aircraft that had just crashed teetered directly above me with engines still full throttle and the heat blowing directly down on me. As the plane went overboard into the Pacific Ocean, it left a gaping hole in the catwalk approximately 10 feet from me. Even though I had escaped that danger, there was another one that was imminent. Filled with adrenaline and my military training, I manned a AFFF firefighting hose and began laying a foam blanket on all the spilled JP5 jet fuel. My quick response and total disregard for my own personal safety prevented the jet fuel from spilling into the steam catapults and igniting, possibly causing loss of life and several multi-million-dollar aircraft.
This action awarded me the Navy Achievement Medal. The medal is awarded for both professional and leadership achievement to Navy and Marine personnel. I believe my actions on the above date were not merely an achievement, but should have awarded me a higher award. I have attached a link to YouTube showing actual footage of the crash.
https://youtu.be/qlwdD5tOB54