MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT -- Two Marines stationed aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort saved two people from drowning in Port Royal, July 4th.
Explosives Ordnance Disposal technicians Gunnery Sgt. Keith Losordo and Sgt. Joshua Alexander were enjoying the Fourth of July Celebration with their families in Port Royal, when they heard cries of distress.
“I heard the call for help,” Losordo said. “I’ve heard it in the past and I know that I should react as fast as possible.”
Losordo and Alexander quickly sprang into action and ran to the water, where they spotted a woman and a little boy who were struggling to get to shore. Utilizing both their training and instincts, they immediately jumped in and went to rescue the two individuals.
“Once I heard the call I gave a quick double take to Sgt. Alexander,” Losordo said. “As soon as he gave me that nod I knew it was time to go in and react to the situation as best as possible.”
“There wasn’t much time to think about anything,” Alexander said. “When we first saw them it looked like they were struggling, but when we heard the call for help, in like half a second we were already running over there.”
Once in the water, Losordo and Alexander helped the woman and the little boy back to shore, while getting injured on the oyster bed in the process.
“While carrying them out the water all I could think was ‘that’s sharp, I can feel that’” Losordo said. “I had to push that to the side and make sure we pulled them out of the water before anything bad happened to them.”
Losordo and Alexander managed to safely get the woman and little boy back to shore, where EMS treated their injuries.
“I want to give a shout out to the EMS guys,” Alexander said. “They got there fast and they did a great job.”
Once everything was over, Losordo and Alexander went back to their families to enjoy the rest of the celebration. Although they went above and beyond the call of duty, Losordo and Alexander believe they were just doing what anyone else would do.
“We just reacted to the situation at hand,” Losordo said. “It’s what we’re trained to do. If there is someone in front of us that needs help, it’s best to try to create a safe situation where no one gets hurt.”