A 1998 Butler High School graduate stationed in Hawaii saved a girl’s life in July.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Christopher Davis, 35, formerly of Butler, and his wife and two children were poolside July 1 at the Hale Koa hotel in Waikiki when an unresponsive girl was dragged from the water.

Davis said what followed was spurred by impulse and followed through by his training. He said the events still seem blurry.

“I knew I just ran over there,” he said. “I did rescue breathing and the life guard did chest compressions.”

As his wife and children watched, Davis and the lifeguard continued CPR until emergency medical services arrived. After the girl’s pulse returned, she was taken to a hospital, where she remained in critical condition through the night.

In the days after the incident, Davis heard no news on her condition. He said he and his wife were both stressed by not knowing and his children remained traumatized by the incident.

“I was shocked at what had just happened,” Davis said. “I was replaying it in my mind.”

He wasn’t able to find out anything mainly because of medical privacy issues. He said he understood the need for privacy, but being a military man, he wanted to know if he succeeded in his mission.

“I had no idea what happened to her,” he said. “I couldn’t find out.”

Eventually, Davis heard the girl was fine, which helped alleviate his concern. Davis and his family were able to calm themselves.

“Me and my wife shed a couple tears because it was a huge weight off our chest,” he said.

Davis and his wife talked to their children, who had many questions about what happened. Davis said he responded with a lesson.

“The point they learned from the whole thing is that sometimes you need to act and not sit around when people are in need of help,” he said.

Thinking back on the situation, Davis said he thanks his military training for his quick actions.

“It was complete chaos around me. Children were screaming. People were screaming.” he said. “I was able to tune all that out because of that training.”

He said his training enabled him to act without thinking, which is exactly what someone needs to do in an emergency where every second counts.

“There was no thought process at all,” he said. “There wasn’t really a lot of time for feelings.”

Davis is CPR certified and has earned the expert field medical badge, but his normal responsibilities are as a company commander assigned to the Regional Health Command-Pacific and are not medical in nature.

Davis said this is why the military pushes versatility and adaptability so a soldier knows how to survive and to try to save those around them.

The son of Wesley and Denise Davis of Meridian, he began his military career shortly after high school graduation. He served two tours in Iraq.

Talking about his son’s action, Wesley Davis said, “I was sort of blown away. It was pretty much a shock.”

Wesley Davis, who has 34 years of his own experience in the military, said his son reacted in a way expected of a trained soldier, and that his success is proof of his hard work.

He noted that his son’s aftershock was real.

“I knew that day I talked to him that something was wrong,” he said. “Then he told me his story.”

He said he could boast a little knowing that the girl survived. His son had saved someone’s life.

“His mother and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Wesley Davis said. “Just when we thought we couldn’t be more proud, he surprised us.”