Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Spend a few minutes with Dan Laguna, and you will learn the following: how to be grateful for what you have, how to serve the people around you and how not to take anything too seriously.
A pilot for an emergency medical services company, Laguna has seen and heard it all. He has participated in Green Beret training in the U.S. Army. He was shot down while flying during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq, where his brother was killed in a fight with insurgents. He participated in the "Black Hawk Down" rescue mission in Somalia. He has also spent between five to six months in a hospital bed as a result of the many injuries he incurred during his time in the U.S. Army.
He has gone through plenty of bad times, but they do not keep him down.
"You have to look at the positive side of life," he said. "I've had a lot of time to reflect ... and I realized if you start thinking positive, things will turn out that way. The doctor told me, 'You've been kept here for a reason.' I feel like life has to be more than what I thought it was before."
Laguna's attitude, service as a medical helicopter pilot and desire to speak to others about being positive and being a better flyer has made him a recipient of the Stars of Life award, a national recognition given by the American Ambulance Association. He will be recognized with a medal, an award and a visit with Utah's congressional delegation next month when he attends the award ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Despite winning the award and feeling grateful to have done so, Laguna thought of his peers before himself when learning of his achievement. Besides the fact that his wife, tongue in cheek, asked him, "Why are they giving it to you?" he was sure that someone better should have won. His peers' hard work should be celebrated in the spotlight of Washington, according to Laguna, despite his 46 years as a pilot.
Laguna and 142 other emergency medical service personnel will be honored in November. People from 38 states will be recognized, with Laguna serving as Utah's sole honoree this year. Since 1996, the American Ambulance Association has honored the men and women who have been seen by their employers as doing amazing work. At 71 years old, Laguna continues to fly helicopters for medical transport, and he also does so across the country whenever he is needed.
"The American Ambulance Association is prioritizing ... and recognizing those who care for people first. Time and again, EMS has proven that they are ready to be there," said Amanda Riordan, the vice president of membership for American Ambulance. "EMS workers sacrifice time with their families to make sure you have time with your family. We're pleased to shine a light on them."
As can be assumed, Laguna has made many friends along the way. He does not turn down a chance to talk to young people. "I tell them how important it is to have goals. We need to inspire young people to make some goals for themselves," he said.
And he never turns down a chance to serve as an air medic anywhere in the U.S.
His son has teased him about his achievement — winning a Star of Life — by changing his ringtone to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" so he knows when Laguna is calling. He said he still works out hard every day, and he still thinks about how to stay positive amid much frustration in the world.
He never has a hard time finding a way to focus his mind on something positive, however. The way he and his friends see it, after decades of military service with some of those years in combat, they just have to remember that things can be a whole lot worse.
"Dan's one of America's best. He's a super human being," said Stephen Schiller, a fellow medical pilot in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment for the U.S. Army. "I've never met a human being who, when they are with people, they see the best in everyone. I've known him for 31 years. ... He's a great pilot, but he also has all the traits you'd want in a human being. He's an amazing dude."
