Marines Save Family On Potomac
by U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Kirstin Spanu July 25,
2020
Four Marines from Marine Corps Base Quantico saved the lives of a
father and son on the Potomac River in Nanjemoy, Maryland on June
14, 2020.
(From left to right) Cpl. Webster Rison, Cpl. Andrea Rosembert, Cpl. Kayde Becerra, and Cpl. Quinn J. Hurt, Marines from Marine Corps Base Quantico, stand in front of the boat they used to help rescue a father and son on the Potomac River in Nanjemoy, Maryland
on June 14, 2020. The Marines attribute their success in saving the two individuals from drowning to training they received in the Marine Corps, including proper planning, advanced water survival training, and the overall ability to remain calm under stress. (Courtesy Photo)
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The Marines planned to spend the overcast Sunday relaxing on the
water and having a picnic before the incident occurred.
Before leaving on the boat that day, Cpl. Quinn J. Hurt, a
photographer with Marine Corps Base Quantico’s Communication
Strategy and Operations section and a Marin County, California,
native, went over safety procedures with the rest of the Marines.
“Whenever I take anyone out on the boat, I always give a basic
safety brief, which people usually make fun of me for. But in this
case, it definitely paid off,” said Hurt. “I tell them where the
life jackets are, I tell them what we’re going to do in the worst
case scenario, and I also instruct the basics of operating a water
vessel, so if something were to happen to me they would be able to
put it in gear and get out of the situation.”
When the
Marines arrived at their desired destination, they noticed there was
only one other boat nearby, which had a family onboard.
“They were jumping off the boat and screaming, having what looked to
be a fun time,” described Cpl. Andrea Rosembert, an administrative
specialist with the Officer Candidates School’s Installation
Personnel Admin Center on base and a native of Brockton,
Massachusetts. “We took a second glance and noticed the situation
was actually pretty serious. The people on the other boat were
flailing their arms and shouting ‘hey!’ and ‘help!’”
Hurt
said they quickly moved their boat closer to the family’s, being
careful not to make any large waves that would further endanger the
father and son struggling to stay afloat in the water.
Hurt
donned a life jacket, jumped off the boat, and began to make his way
toward the two individuals.
“I swam up to them, and clearly
they were having issues swimming,” acknowledged Hurt. “The father’s
head was bobbing underwater and he had a younger son who was holding
onto him as tight as he could.”
Hurt introduced himself to
the pair, instructed them to stay calm, and told them he was there
to help. He then positioned his body underneath the father and son
to keep both of their heads above water as he used his legs to bring
them toward the boat.
As this was happening, Cpl. Webster
Rison, a graphic artist also with Communication Strategy and
Operations and a Gainesville, Georgia, native, also jumped in the
water with the intention of bringing life jackets to the father and
son, but the other Marines reached them first with their boat.
“Hurt has been teaching me how to pick up wakeboarders after
they fall,” said Cpl. Kayde Becerra, an administrative specialist
with The Basic School’s Installation Personnel Admin Center on base
and a Reedley, California, native. “And so, I just thought to
myself, ‘Why can’t we pick them up as if they were wakeboarders?’”
Once they reached the father and son, Rosembert and Becerra
pulled everyone onboard, to include another son who was in the
water, but was not struggling nor able to help.
The Marines
then brought all three individuals to their boat to reunite with
their other family members.
All four Marines noted how
smoothly the rescue went. “We were all calm and collected,” said
Hurt. “I would attribute it to the stresses the Marine Corps puts on
you, where it forces you to remain calm under pressure.”
Hurt
said participating in the Corps’ advanced water survival training,
which involves learning rescue technics, and the Marine Corps’
emphasis on planning also aided in saving the two individuals that
day.
Marine Corps Base Quantico Communication Strategy and
Operations reached out to the family for comment, but they did not
respond to inquiries.
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