A Marine stationed in Okinawa saved five people from drowning at a local beach the day after Thanksgiving.
The Marine has been identified as 1st Lt. John Dixon. He was walking with his spouse on the seawall November 24 when he noticed a group of swimmers struggling and appeared to be in danger, according to the Daily Caller.
Dixon heard screams and jumped into the ocean while Japanese police called for backup according to the news report.
“That’s when I knew something needed to happen,” Dixon said. “I just jumped in the water and started going out to them as deep as I could without losing my own footing.”
Dixon’s Marine Corps training kicked in to save the swimmers without any additional training as a lifeguard. He threw a preserver to a man struggling in the water and dragged him to safety.
“Every once in awhile, you would kind of slip, but I would just lean back toward shore as far as I could and just keep reeling them in as hard as I could,” Dixon said. “There were times where I could feel myself being pulled in the opposite direction out to open water. That’s when I would just readjust my feet and keep trying to do backward stepping as hard as I could until I got them in.”
A Japanese policeman tried to help but was caught up in the riptide as well.
One by one, he went into the ocean, pulling the swimmers out of the current to safety. Dixon saved 3 college students and an adult visiting from South Korea.
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