A Tennessee National Guard Security Forces officer deployed to Memphis under the Memphis Safe Task Force was recognized for saving the life of a woman suffering from a drug overdose over the weekend.
Last week, Staff Sgt. Cody Luhrs, a Security Forces officer with the Air National Guard’s 164th Airlift Wing, was serving as the medical response team member and performing a community safety patrol when he was notified of the woman suffering from a drug overdose inside the cab of a nearby semi truck.
During a Saturday morning patrol with local law enforcement as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, Staff Sgt. Cody Luhrs, saved the life of a local woman suffering from a drug overdose west of the Memphis International Airport on Winchester Road. https://t.co/arSN33mpEV pic.twitter.com/atHA7plCnN
— Tenn. National Guard (@TNMilitaryDept) November 14, 2025
The woman was “barely breathing,” unresponsive, and had pale skin at the time the guardsmen were notified of the situation, according to a release by the Tennessee National Guard.
Luhrs immediately drove his medical response van to the scene, where he lifted the woman from the truck, placed her on the grass beside the road, and proceeded to save the woman’s life by inserting a 20-gauge IV line in her left arm and administering a 2-milligram dose of NARCAN.
The National Guard reported that Luhrs’ efforts were successful, as the woman began breathing normally, showed eye movement, and her color returned to her face.
The woman was further aided and transported to the hospital by personnel with the Memphis Fire Department.
Luhrs, who, according to the National Guard, received advanced training in the Air Force and as an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician with the Collierville Fire Department, attributed his actions on Saturday to his duty and training.
“I like being able to help out in the community. It feels good to be able to give something back. I just got caught in an extraordinary moment on an ordinary day and- I’m glad that my training ensured I was capable of handling that,” Luhrs said in a statement.
Luhrs has served in the Army National Guard since 2009.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
