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View Full Version : Okinawa Marine's 'swift and proper action' saves two boys from drowning



Shaffer
10-31-02, 10:01 AM
CAMP KINSER, Okinawa - Something didn't seem right, thought Gunnery Sgt. Larry LeClerc as he watched a river current slowly carry two Japanese boys toward the ocean.

LeClerc was heading home Saturday after fishing with his 5-year-old son, Ryan, at a beach in Ishikawa. If his son hadn't spilled the tackle box just moments prior, he likely wouldn't have seen the boys in the water.

At first, he said, he thought the boys were playing a joke - pretending they were drowning to get attention. But their submerged heads didn't come up for air. He watched for nearly a minute before realizing they were in trouble.

"I've never seen anybody drown before," LeClerc said. "I had a stereotype of what it would look like from watching 'Baywatch' on TV: people yelling for help and splashing about in the water. Those kids didn't look like what I thought drowning kids would look like, based on my stereotype."

After realizing the severity of the situation, LeClerc said he ran to the side of a bridge spanning the gully that leads to the ocean. He grabbed the smaller child's arm and hauled him to the side of the wall. The boy vomited large amounts of water as LeClerc compressed his belly.

Leaving the boy at the top of the bridge on his side coughing and spitting out more water, LeClerc jumped into the water to retrieve the other boy who had floated farther away.

After fighting the currents in about 5 feet of water to get back to shore, LeClerc said he gave several rounds of abdominal thrusts to the second boy who spat out large volumes of water over several minutes.

Weakened from the ordeal and unable to sit up, the boy kept trying to go to sleep. At one point, he looked up and whispered "thank you," recounted LeClerc. It was the only English the boy knew.

"I'll never forget it," LeClerc said.

Unable to communicate with them, LeClerc eventually found some Japanese people on the beach who understood a little English. Once they discovered the boys were not his and needed medical attention, they called for emergency services. The last LeClerc saw of the two boys, they were being rushed to a hospital.

Their family could not be reached for comment but Katsuhisa Kanemura, a spokesman for the Ishikawa police, said the pair, ages 5 and 8, likely would have drowned but for LeClerc's "swift and proper action."

The younger boy was released shortly after being admitted to Chubu Hospital in Gushikawa. Medical officials at the hospital kept the older one overnight to monitor his conditions.

Kanemura said local police plan to give LeClerc public recognition to honor his actions.

"I didn't do anything so spectacular," said LeClerc, who noted his only regret was not jumping into the water sooner.

The incident really hit home, said LeClerc, who had been a platoon sergeant to two of three Camp Hansen Marines swept out to sea in September. One made it back to shore; bodies of the other two never have been found.

LcClerc said his heart "beat fast" during the rescues as he hoped he wouldn't see two more people lost to the sea.

"As much time as we spend in the water for enjoyment and entertainment," he said, "it scares you to think how it can turn so deadly so quickly."