Monsanto Honors Safety and Marine

 Each year, Creve Coeur-based Monsanto holds an Global Safety Award ceremony to highlight acts of heroism and ethical behavior at its properties around the world to and remind employees about the importance of safety. One of this year's examples is a story fit for a TV show.

Javiaer Franco works for Monsanto in South Africa, and was on a canoe trip on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe with his wife Patricia and their children in March 2010. Cpl. Justin Trinidad was working as a security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Harare at the time, and he and his girlfriend Kaylynn Hankey were on the same safari trip as the Francos. As the group paddled up the river, a guide warned that a hippo was in the water and that they needed to exit the river. Most of the group reached the shore safely, but Javier and Patricia Franco’s canoe was suddenly launched into the air, throwing the couple into the water. The hippo bit Javier Franco’s leg before disappearing below the water. Franco’s foot was hanging on to his leg by a thread.

Seeing the couple’s distress, Trinidad did not hesitate to take action, even though no one knew if the hippo was still on the scene. He and Hawley paddled their canoe out to Javier Franco, who was losing a lot of blood. They were able to help the Francos ashore, where Trinidad used the strap of his binoculars to create a tourniquet around Franco’s leg. The group was in the middle of nowhere, and immediate medical attention was not an option. A guide with a jeep arrived after an hour, and they were able to load Franco into the vehicle. Four hours later, Franco had been flown to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa and was in stable condition. Franco’s foot could not be saved, but there is no doubt that Trinidad saved his life.

At a ceremony Thursday at Monsanto’s Creve Coeur headquarters, Franco and Trinidad were called to the stage, where Trinidad was awarded a statuette and received a standing ovation. In situations of extraordinary heroism, it is traditional within Monsanto to present the honoree with an American flag that has flown over the headquarters. In the first instance where this award has been given to a person outside of the organization, Trinidad was awarded with the flag that was flying on the day he saved Franco’s life. In a further show of their appreciation and admiration, Monsanto is donating $10,000 in Trinidad’s name to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, which contributes to the education of children of fallen Marines.

Corporal Trinidad, who served three tours of duty in Iraq and is now based in Quantico, Virginia, was humbled and surprised by the recognition. Trinidad said he is not one to seek attention, and was expecting a small ceremony with the presentation of a plaque. The donation to the Scholarship Foundation was especially “touching to my heart,” Trinidad said, because he contributes to the fund on his own. When asked if he would encourage others to get first responder training like First Aid and CPR, Trinidad agreed wholeheartedly. As a teenager he took lifeguarding and CPR courses, and said that seeking this kind of training “has always been instilled in me.”

And as for a TV script, the story was featured by Animal Planet's program, I'm Alive.

Thursday’s ceremony also honored Monsanto sites and employees from around the world for the implementation of better safety practices and for maintaining integrity and operational excellence. The awards encourage Monsanto’s 20,000 employees worldwide to maintain what the corporation calls a “culture of safety and ethics.”