Marines Hailed As Heroes In Fleet Week Rescue

Marines Hailed As Heroes In Fleet Week Rescue
Len Ramirez
Reporting

(CBS 5) MOUNTAIN VIEW It was Fleet Week and the marines were on leave in San Francisco, when duty called.

"We were walking past Pier 19 when we heard a woman scream, and she fell in the water," said Seargent Albert Bernard of the Marine Corps.

"She was saying she wanted to die, she wanted to kill herself," said Seargent Jose Gomez.

"It was 12 feet down, we couldn't reach her," said Sgt. Bernard.

"We were there, we had to form a chain in order to pull her out," Sgt Gomez said.

Sgt. Bernard describes the rescue. "We had one guy holding her, a couple of guys holding him and I was holding the last guy, we reached down and pulled her over," he said.

The Marines, 11 desert rats from Twentynine Palms brought the woman to safety, and she was hospitalized.

The Marines actions that day were quick, decisive and effective, and they are not going unrecognized. In fact, San Francisco's police chief left the city by the bay today to personally meet up with the heroes.

"Obviously, they didn't have the gear that public safety officials would normally use in that situation, but they were able to successfully rescue the woman. And hold on her. We're very, very grateful for their service," Chief Fong said.

CBS 5 asked Sgt. Bernard what if the group was not there to rescue the woman. "Oh she would have died," he said. "She wouldn't have been able to treat water that long because she had boots on and her clothes were waterlogged."

The Marines left the Bay Area for the drive back to Southern California. Proud of their service, but humbled by being called heroes.

"It just came to us…we did what we had to do," Corporel Rafael Saucedo said.

Ellie