ELSANOR — Chad Hostnick, a first-grader at Elsanor Elementary, was turning a bluish-purple when Michael Patterson, a ninth-grade Jr. ROTC Naval cadet at Robertsdale High noticed his plight.

“A piece of candy, that someone on the bus had given him, had become lodged in Chad’s throat,” Patterson said. “Because we had just covered the first aid section in our ROTC curriculum I knew it was up to me to do something.”

After pulling Chad to a standing position Patterson tried the Heimlich Maneuver, but the life-saving technique failed to dislodge the piece of butterscotch.

“I tried to massage his throat in an effort to turn it,” Patterson said, “and then I tried the maneuver again. It moved a little, but it was still stuck.”

Patterson massaged Chad’s throat once more, and then gave the elementary school student another quick, upward thrust to the chest. This time the technique worked, as the candy went flying down the aisle of the bus.

Because Chad’s throat had been scratched by the candy on the way out there was a bit of blood on his lips.

The bus driver took Chad back to the school where a school nurse checked him out.

Patterson was presented with a Naval ROTC Achievement ribbon by Master Chief Bob Dairy during a ceremony in the Elsanor Elementary School Library on Wednesday. He was accompanied by RHS Principal Theresa Bryant.

“We wanted to be here this morning to show our support of Michael, and to let him know how much we appreciate him,” Bryant said. “What he did was very courageous.”

Dairy, who along with Cmdr. Gary Watkins, serves as an instructor in the RHS Naval Jr. ROTC program, said that because Patterson didn’t hesitate to act, he was able to save the young boy’s life.

“One day he may come to realize the importance of his actions,” he said. “We expect that Michael will receive a civilian award from the State of Alabama, as well as the ribbon that we are presenting, for what he did.”

Patterson isn’t the first in his family to take ROTC at Robertsdale High.

“Michael’s sister, Starla, was one of our ROTC commanding officers several years ago,” Dairy said.

Patterson said that he and Chad live relatively close to one another in the Elsanor community.

“I feel that I was supposed to ride that bus that day,” he said. “When I got up that morning my initial thought was to ride my motorcycle to school, but for some reason I decided to ride the bus instead.”

Chad’s father, Chad Arlo Hostnick, is certainly glad he did.

“We had the opportunity to go over to Michael’s house Monday night and visit with him and his family,” he said. “It’s hard to put into words just exactly how we feel right now. A simple ‘thank you’ seems so inadequate, but Michael knows how we feel about him and what he did.”

Patterson said he felt calm and confident during the crisis.

“I did what I was trained to do,” he said. “Having had the first aid course gave me the confidence to act and not hold back. Learning basic first aid is something I would recommend that everyone learn how to perform.”