Spc. Darrion Rackley of the South Carolina Army National Guard recently saved the life of the same man on two separate occasions while supporting the Guard’s “D.C. Safe and Beautiful” mission.
While celebrating a recent birthday, Rackley, an information technology specialist, and other team members assigned to Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 178th Field Artillery, were distributing food to local individuals experiencing homelessness in the area.
During the assignment, a local bystander alerted the team that a male nearby was experiencing a medical emergency, noting the man was unresponsive.
Rackley arrived first on the scene and identified the situation as a drug overdose. He subsequently administered Narcan and performed CPR, ultimately resulting in the individual’s resuscitation.
Five days later, Rackley was patrolling the same area of the city when he responded to another overdose by the same individual. Once again he saved the person’s life.
Since arriving in the nation’s capital, Rackley has been an active participant in patrols throughout the area. He recently declined an offer from leadership to take time off after the incidents.
“I don’t like not being on the mission,” Rackley said. ”It makes me feel like I could be doing something more.”
National Guardsmen assigned to the Joint Task Force-District of Columbia have administered naloxone to more than 100 individuals experiencing drug-related emergencies since August 2025, according to a March release.
In response to an increase of drug-related overdoses in nation’s capital, JTF-DC integrated the administration of naloxone, commonly referred to by its brand name Narcan, into the required training criteria for patrol personnel.
“The D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission is fundamentally about safeguarding the community,” Lt. Austin Coomes, a medical operations officer with the South Carolina National Guard, said in a recent release. “Equipping our personnel with naloxone provides them with a crucial, life-saving capability to intervene effectively in overdose situations, thereby enhancing the safety and well-being of the District’s residents.”
Lillian Juarez contributed to this report.
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