A San Diego lifeguard is getting recognized for an extraordinary act of bravery.
Lifeguard Marc Brown was awarded the Medal of Valor for a dangerous rescue effort on November 20, 2011 when Brown helped rescue a man stuck in a drainage pipe along the Tijuana River Valley.
The man was one of several undocumented immigrants who were allegedly trying to cut across the swift waters into the U.S. by the waste water treatment facility.
Brown says the water was cold and the main focus was to get the man out of the pipe 20 feet below ground just minutes before it would fill with water.
Despite the danger of the situation at hand, without hesitation, Brown stepped up to help border patrol agents by suiting up and answering as he describes to "the call of duty."
"When you're a rescuer you really don't think about the outcome or whether I'm able to put my own life at risk. The main focus was to get him out of there in a timely matter," Brown said.
Brown, who is a 19-year veteran lifeguard, was joined by his wife, who is also a lifeguard and his father, a former lifeguard, for a brief ceremony during today’s city council meeting.
Local
“He just did what he needed to do and I think it ended up being a lot more dangerous than they expected. But it wouldn't have stopped him from going," said Kerry Brown, Brown’s wife.
Only 40 lifeguards have received the medal of valor since it was created back in 1987. Tuesday’s honor makes Marc Brown the 9th lifeguard in San Diego to receive this award.
