I was reading Michele's Blog and noticed an entry asking people to name three things that made their parents proud when they were growing up.
When I was 11-years-old I helped save two boy's lives. My friend Greg was there and a kid that I think was named Ralph. Greg and I were great friends from 5th grade through high school. We were playing down at the beach and ran into this kid but didn't do much with him afterward.
This section of the beach, in North Hampton, has a jetty of jumbled granite blocks that leads to an island a ways off-shore. The granite blocks are covered with algae, seaweed, and barnacles. There's a good 2-3ft drop-off if you walk off the edge of them and they are very slippery when wet.
When the tide is low you can walk out on the rocks and explore the tidal pools on the island. This island is only 10x20 and it is completely covered with water when it is high tide.
We were playing on the beach in early May. On that day it was probably in the 50s and the water temperature was probably in the 40s. The tide was on its way in and we noticed that a couple of small boys were playing on the island. Already, the water would have been too deep on the jetty to make it back without assistance even if they knew where to step.
Since me and this kid Ralph were bigger than Greg we sent him back to a house to call the police and me and Ralph waded out to the island. The water was over my knees and ice-cold. We kept on our shoes and coats but it didn't make the rocks less slippery or make me feel any warmer.
The boys had no idea that they were in big trouble. They were on the other side of the island and didn't know that the way back was covered with water. Ralph carried the four-year-old and I helped the six-year-old walk, at first, and ended up carrying him too. The water rose rapidly and was chest high at one point. There was no way to see where you were walking, the waves where pushing and pulling on us, the rocks were slippery, and we had little kids in our arms. A fall or wandering too far to either side would have been disastrous.
We stumbled on to the beach just as a police officer showed up. Ralph lived across the street and headed home. Greg and I had our bikes with us but the officer loaded them into his trunk and drove me home first.
I'll never forget the look on my father's face when we pulled into the driveway. Certain death for whatever I did was written on his face until the officer explained what had happened. Suddenly, I was his favorite son (it helped that I was his only son) and pride was written there instead. By this time I was shaking uncontrollably and they hustled me inside to change.
The mother, that dropped her kids off at the beach to play while she shopped, never contacted any of us. I can still remember her quote in the newspaper, "It is nice to know that others will help when someone is in jeopardy." The police chief for North Hampton wrote us a nice letter and I believe the Hampton police chief did too.
We were honored by the town of Claremont's American Legion. They gave us medals and had a parade in our honor. The Manchester Union Leader newspaper has a yearly banquet for people that they considered heroes and we were invited to that too. It was a great meal and we got granite awards with special certificates detailing what we did that day.
I often wonder what those kids remember about that day and if the mother ever gave us a second thought.
I never considered not going in and helping those kids. My only real concern was that I would be in trouble because I had on new shoes and the salt water was going to wreck them.
Posted by bbarton at March 9, 2005 10:43 PMThanks, Michele! You made my day!
Posted by: Bob on March 10, 2005 07:17 AMPermit me to blubber uncontrollably about a similarly valiant act.
After a dreary, stormy morning at the Lake Michigan cottage belonging to my uncle, we venture out to the deck at about 3pm to enjoy the sunshine. Guests staying at the adjacent cottage were down at the shore, hands shielding their eyes from the glare of the sun as they gazed ever so intently westward. Barely visible in the distance is the object of their affection, Clint was his name, I think. He had capsized their friends sailboat and was standing on the sail-less beast, waving his arms.
Seeing as our humble cottage was armed with a canoe and many life-jackets, I paddled out to lend a hand (cue the Hawaii Five-O theme.) The seasoned lad had lost the daggerboard, and the rudder hadn't been pinned so that quickly sank after gravity released it of its bonds. In an attempt to swim the boat ashore, he removed the line from the mast to use it as his tow-rope. So there we were, a boat half-full of water, and me in my canoe.
I attempted to 'tow' it back, but it literally felt as though I was tied to a 40 ton block of concrete. The fiberglass canoe would shutter as the line went taut with each stroke of the paddle. The off-shore wind had pushed us out to the point I could no longer see people standing on-shore, so I reasoned with him that his attorney friend from down the shore could well-afford a new boat. It would be dark in another 90 minutes and we were headed for the Fox Islands 20 miles out, time to abandon ship. Clint was quite a capsizer, as he easily flipped the canoe in his attempt to step from the boat.
To bring this calamity to a close, luckily my wife had called both the USCG and the county (repeatedly after they could no longer see us.) The boys in brown scampered out first in their Whaler, and slowly towed both swamped boats back , but not before the USCG arrived from Beaver Island with their heavy water boat to crack a few jokes over the radio with the deputies then leave. The deputies blanched at the sight of the large rocks which line the floor of the lake just north of the cottage, and ordered us off in water that was neck deep, but dead calm.
Needless to say (but why stop now?) drinks by the fire were on the quite appreciative Clint that night. I like to think that I was being equally selfless in my act, however I feel there was a considerable level of negative intelligence on my part. Luckily the outcome was positive. For sure, I am proud of you for I know without a doubt you would do it again. I would too, but this time I'd take the neighbor's Zodiac!
P.S. Luv the "Christmas Story" snowball fight moment.
Posted by: Jim on March 19, 2005 08:39 PMThat is so sweet that you were worried about your shoes!
Posted by: Antipodeesse on March 22, 2005 07:23 AM
I am certain that not only were your parents proud but I am certain that mother has had to give youmore than a second thought. How very brave you were. Thank you for sharing this memory. Thank you very much.
Posted by: Michele on March 9, 2005 10:57 PMYou were and remain a hero.