Army Reservist Given Award For Life-Saving Actions After Drive-By Shooting

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- An Army reservist survived a tour in the Middle East, only to face danger at home.

As TV 10/55's Long Island Bureau Chief Richard Rose reported, her life-saving actions earned her New York state's highest military honor.

Staff Sergeant Marlana Watson is used to standing at attention with fellow Army reservists for the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner. She joined the National Guard at 17 and served a year in Afghanistan.

After facing fire as a medic, the last thing she expected was to hear gun fire near her home in Syracuse.

"I heard five gunshots, I ran downstairs to make sure my son was all right, cause it sounded real close," she said.

Last November, two young teens collapsed on Watson's front lawn in the middle of the night. They were victims of a drive-by shooting.

"One was shot in the back, a lot of people were standing around. I told one person, I used a sock to stop the bleeding, I told a guy to come over her and hold pressure," she said.

On Wednesday, Staff Sergeant Watson was honored for her efforts in saving the teens' lives, even as the shooter lingered nearby in a sport-utility vehicle. She was awarded the Medal of Valor for an act of bravery that she shakes her head at now.

"Now that I think about it, it was definitely unsafe, especially since the SUV was rolling back, and I was just like, 'is this where it's going to end?'" she said.

Watson's family is extremely proud of her, but they said they're not surprised.

"She's a go-getter, something happens she's right there, on the spot, she's going to do something about it," Watson's mother, Tammy Jo Giannicchi said.

Watson is now a recruiter based in Farmingdale. She said the medal will help in her new job.

"It's going to go on a nice plaque in my office to show everybody else, especially new recruits, this what you could maybe get one day, and achieve this," she said.

Watson said she was just following the solder's creed of honor and personal courage.