Army Nurse Who Aided Seattle Amtrak Derailment Victims Earns Top Civilian Valor Award

A Madigan Army Medical Center nurse who came to the aid of victims after happening upon last year's Amtrak derailment in DuPont, Washington State, has received the Army Award for Valor.

• Secretary of the Army Mark Espe presented the award to Tanya Porter on Friday in a ceremony at the Pentagon.
• Porter, a nurse in Madigan’s Critical Care Department, was driving home Dec. 18 after a 12-hour night shift when Amtrak Cascades Train 501 derailed onto Interstate 5. The accident killed three people and injured 62.

• According to Madigan's Facebook account, Porter “set up a casualty collection site and conducted triage amidst the wreckage to save injured passengers from the fatal crash.”
• The award is the highest given by the army to civilians who risk their personal safety in acts of heroism or sacrifice, according to the Army: “The heroic act must demonstrate voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty … Porter is one of only a handful of people who have received it.”

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