Gen. Milley’s nurse wife gave CPR to bystander who collapsed at ceremony

Hollyanne Milley, a nurse and the wife of the nation’s top military officer Gen. Mark Milley, performed CPR on a man who collapsed during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Milley told NBC News that during the Wednesday ceremony, before President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President Pence and second lady Karen Pence arrived at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, she heard an incident at Arlington National Ceremony and ran to see if she could help.

“I just saw legs laying there,” Milley told the outlet.

“When I first got there, he was breathing in a very erratic way that he wasn’t really taking air into his lungs as he should have been,” she continued. “And then he stopped breathing.”

Milley said the man initially had no pulse, and she directed another bystander to call 911 and began CPR.

“I did about two cycles of CPR, and then he just took a big, deep breath and kind of groaned a little bit and then started moving around,” Milley told NBC News.

“I put him in a side recovery position and just talked to him and told him what was going on and encouraged him to take deep breaths,” she continued, noting that she was then able to detect a pulse. 

The man, who is a veteran but requested to remain anonymous, has since been discharged from an area hospital. Milley said she spoke with him Thursday.

“He’s grateful that he will be here next year to again honor those who served,” Milley told NBC News. “And he said because of a bystander who knew CPR that’s why he’ll be able to continue on honoring our veterans for hopefully many years to come.”

Mark Milley said in a statement to the outlet that his wife’s “actions were representative of the hero medical professionals who are always there when we need them. She represents the strength and service of our military families.”

The nurse noted that the incident was not the first time she helped a stranger during a medical crisis at an event, telling the outlet that she “performed CPR in my ball gown” at a recent Army Ball.