Charlie Lawrence doesn’t remember March 23, the day his heart stopped beating.

But it’s a day others will never forget.

Lawrence was helping unload food and other commodities at the Powell American Legion when he suddenly collapsed. Patty Paulsen, a fellow volunteer, walked into the small room and found Lawrence lying on the floor.

“There was no pulse, no breath,” Paulsen said.

She called for Sarah Anderson, a friend and co-worker at Big Horn Enterprises.

They moved Lawrence down the hallway to a more open area and started CPR.

“This is the first time I’ve actually had to use it,” Anderson said. “You always wonder, would you be able to remember? And you know … it just kicked in. I was amazed.”

Anderson did compressions while Paulsen delivered rescue breaths.

“We only had to do two breaths, and then he started breathing on his own,” Paulsen said. “It was very labored breathing, but he was still breathing on his own.”

Anderson continued with the compressions. Soon Powell Police Sgt. Chad Miner and Officer Josh Strom arrived, and used a defibrillator on Lawrence.

A Powell Valley Healthcare crew arrived on the scene soon after, and Lawrence was later transported to a Billings hospital.

“And he’s still alive today, thanks to these two ladies,” said Jerry Clark, commander of the American Legion Hughes-Pittinger Post 26.

Last week, the American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and Powell Police Department recognized Paulsen and Anderson. The women’s alert response, CPR training and willingness to get involved “greatly enhanced the chance of survival for this individual” said Police Chief Roy Eckerdt.

“In Powell, we live in a great community,” Eckerdt said. “But we also live in a society that doesn’t want to get involved, and these two ladies stepping up and taking action says a lot about their character.”

Neither Paulsen nor Anderson hesitated.

“There wasn’t a second thought … you’re trying to save a person’s life,” Anderson said.

As with Anderson, it was Paulsen’s first time performing CPR.

“I think it’s amazing that under pressure, we knew what to do,” Paulsen said.

She said they usually try to pay it forward and help people.

Both women have undergone CPR training numerous times over the years for their jobs at Big Horn Enterprises.

“We work closely together all the time,” Paulsen said. “So it was just another one of those things where we just synced.”

She praised the police officers, ambulance crew and Dr. Adam Childers for their quick response.

“It was just good teamwork all the way around,” Paulsen said.

As the ambulance took Lawrence away, Anderson and Paulsen worried whether he would make it.

“In this field, we see people up until the end, and he had that look,” Paulsen said. “To know that he survived it, it’s pretty amazing.”

They described Lawrence as a nice, helpful man.

As a volunteer with Powell Valley Loaves and Fishes, Lawrence, 71, helps with the monthly commodity distribution — along with Anderson, Paulsen and other volunteers. Lawrence lives in Garland by himself, and initially wasn’t planning to go to the Legion that day. Lawrence said he was thankful that he was at the Legion, where folks were nearby to help.

“To me, it was just a blessing that he was there that day,” Anderson said.

“We still get emotional about it,” Paulsen said as she recalled details of the incident.

Lawrence suffered a second heart attack, but he is recovering. He was moved to the Advanced Care Hospital of Montana for rehab. Lawrence said Tuesday that he hopes to return home soon.

In addition to being a community volunteer, Lawrence is also a Vietnam veteran.

“To find out that he was a Vietnam veteran and we helped him, it was pretty cool,” Paulsen said, adding that her dad also served in Vietnam.

Anderson stressed the importance of CPR training, since you never know when you may need it.

Following the experience, Paulsen encourages people to be willing to step up to help one another.

“I wish that people would not be afraid to get involved,” Paulsen said. “You could make an impact on somebody’s life.”

Or as in their case, save a life.

“Life is so precious,” Anderson said.