New Zealand air force Cpl. Abraham “Abe” Corban-Banks aided a pair of injured American airmen following a vehicle accident during Cope North drills on Tinian Island in February 2023. (Maddy Butcher/New Zealand Defenc Force)
A New Zealand airman who rushed into the jungle on a remote Micronesian island to save two critically injured American service members has been formally honored for his actions nearly three years after a multinational exercise.
Cpl. Abraham “Abe” Corban-Banks recently received a commendation for courage and professionalism from the head of New Zealand’s air force, Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb, following a February 2023 vehicle accident on Tinian Island during Cope North drills.
That year’s annual airpower exercise, centered on Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, involved about 2,000 service members from the United States, Australia, France, Japan and New Zealand.
Corban-Banks, a security forces specialist, was among the first responders to a high-speed rollover that left two U.S. troops critically injured deep in the jungle, according to a New Zealand air force news release issued Tuesday.
“With no medical team nearby, Corporal Corban-Banks and his USAF colleague went to the scene immediately and began first aid,” the release said.
In this undated photos, Cpl. Abraham “Abe” Corban-Banks, right, of the New Zealand air force, receives a commendation for courage and professionalism for his actions following a vehicle accident during Cope North drills on Tinian Island in February 2023. (Maddy Butcher/New Zealand Defenc Force)
He stabilized a woman suffering from a severe femur fracture, another open fracture and signs of internal bleeding, according to the air force.
“He kept her conscious while preparing her for rapid evacuation,” the release said. “Thanks to his actions, she was flown out on a nearby C-130 aircraft within minutes.”
The other injured American was later airlifted by a Japanese helicopter, according to the release.
“While it was an intense situation, my instincts and training just kicked in,” Corban-Banks said in the release. “There was no time to really think about the situation — I was simply doing what anyone would do. This is exactly what I trained for.”
The release did not say why Corban-Banks was being honored nearly three years after incident. New Zealand Defence Force spokeswoman Rebecca Quilliam said by phone that she was looking into the reason for the delay Wednesday evening.
Japanese airmen who assisted in the emergency response were recognized separately. In November 2023, 5th Air Force decorated Maj. Ken Yamashita and Tech. Sgt. Atsushi Oyaizu of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for their roles in aiding the crash victims, according to a U.S. Forces Japan announcment on Facebook at the time.
Yamashita was serving as a landing zone control officer on Tinian when the injured Americans required immediate evacuation, while Oyaizu helped stabilize the patients, assess injuries and communicate with an operations center, the post said.
Both crash victims survived, and an official report credited the swift actions of first responders, according to the New Zealand air force.
