KAILUA, ISLAND OF OAHU, Hawaii -- "They say, 'fools rush in where angels fear to tread,'" laughed Lt. Cmdr. Theresa J. Buratynski, a group flight surgeon for Marine Aircraft Group 24, when she was asked about courageous efforts she and another Marine showed to rescue two local civilians from a burning house here in early April.
Buratynski was driving to her canoe class after work, just like any other day, when she noticed an abundant amount of smoke coming from a house, just outside the back gate of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
"The first thing I saw was a woman that was on her knees ... engulfed in flames," said Buratynski. "It all happened so fast. I found a puddle of water and put her in it to get the flames out."
Just then, Sgt. John P. Rose, the legal chief for Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 24, arrived on the scene, ready to help out in any way.
"I had jugs of water in my truck, so I took them out to help put the fire out on the first woman on the lawn, and got her across the street to safety," said Rose.
When the flames were under control, the two noticed that there were other wounds on the victim.
Buratynski later would tell law enforcement that the woman had been badly stabbed and beaten in addition to being burned. The situation was an attempted murder, not just a house fire, she explained to police officers.
No sooner was the woman taken to safety across the street, than Buratynski noticed a second woman, unable to get out of the house, and also on fire. Without hesitation, Buratynski and Rose removed the woman from the crumbling home and into safety across the road.
"At that time, someone needed help," said Rose. "Nothing else mattered. Those people just needed to get to safety."
The same types of wounds were found on this woman, and Buratynski knew just what to do.
"We took the clothes off their backs and doused them in water," said Buratynski. "I applied pressure to the wounds and took care of a trauma to the chest on one of the victims."
The Emergency Medical Service was called and arrived approximately 30 minutes later. It seemed like an eternity, said Buratynski.
"I think what I did in that situation is what anyone would do," said Buratynski. "It wasn't acceptable to watch them burn. We saw what needed to be done, and we did it."
The heroic actions weren't the first time that Buratynski has found herself amidst a life or death situation.
"When I was in high school, I was walking home one night and watched a woman get shot right in front of me. I ... watched her fall," said Buratynski. "The man drove away and I ran up to help her. I would much rather sustain an injury than live with myself knowing I didn't do the right thing."