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USS John S. McCain Sailor awarded medal for lifesaving heroics By Journalist 2nd class (SW) Ryan K. Bell, 7th Fleet public affairs Date posted: 09/27/01 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- YOKOSUKA, Japan – A USS John S. McCain Sailor (DDG 56) was awarded the Navy Marine Corps Medal during a ceremony at the naval base here Sept. 27. Twenty-one year-old Fire Control Technician 3rd Class Luke Ishizaki was presented the award by Vice Adm. James Metzger, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, for his heroic lifesaving efforts while on liberty during a port visit to Saipan in February. Ishizaki, an Aegis radar technician on board McCain, was awarded the medal for risking his life to save the lives of two young women at The Grotto, a popular Saipan swimming and diving spot, Feb. 3. The women were swept off a viewing ledge and dragged underwater by surging currents. According to Navy regulations, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, "May be awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps, distinguishes himself by heroism not involving actual conflict with the enemy. For acts of lifesaving, it is required that the action be performed at the risk of one's own life." The Grotto is a sunlit sunken pool connected to the sea by an underwater passage. For safety, a lifeline is strung across the middle of the pool and attached to a large rock and a buoy to help swimmers fight the current going into and getting out of the water. The current flows turbulently up and around the rocks at the edge and is even more deadly when the tide comes in, according to Sailors who have swam there. According to witnesses, Ishizaki was swimming at the Grotto with his friends, Derek Hendricks and Operations Specialist 1st Class Robert Baumgarten when Hsieh Yi Fan, 21, and Shih Pei Chi, 19 of Taipei, Taiwan, went too close to a series of crashing waves. "I heard a scream and saw the girls getting washed in, so I jumped from the top down to the ledge, hoping I would make the landing," Ishizaki said. "As I hit the ledge, another wave washed in and swept me down." "Ishizaki jumped down from the top of the rock into the oncoming wave and locked his legs around the safety line," Baumgarten said. "He grabbed one girl in his arms and held onto the other one with his hands as they were being swept into the current. He was holding them for a good two to three minutes" said Baumgarten. Holding one woman by the wrist with the second one locked between them in his arms holding onto his chest, Ishizaki kept them from being swept into the sharp rocks where one diver had died earlier that day. "The set of waves bashed me and the girls around like a piñata into the rocks and ledge at least five times," Ishizaki said. "When the waves subsided, Luke was still there holding on for dear life -- his and theirs. If he had lost the rope he would have died right along with them," said Hendricks. "He was really shook up after that because he barely had a hold on the other girl," Baumgarten said. "He almost had to decide which one was going to die." After the waves settled down, Ishizaki lifted the women to safety. The women and Ishizaki suffered some bruises and scrapes but were not seriously hurt. Metzger described Ishizaki as the epitome of a shipmate and a hero during the ceremony, and said awarding him the Navy Marine Corps Medal was a privilege he was experiencing for the first time in his 34 years of Naval service. "This medal is more senior than the Purple Heart and even the Bronze Star," the admiral said, "and rightfully so. We all would like to think that in the same situation, we would have the courage to react as Petty Officer Ishizaki did. He acted with great bravery and rose to meet the challenge." "I feel proud that I reacted to save these women's lives," Ishizaki said. "I can't say that if faced with the same situation, I'd react the same way once, twice, or even at all. It's just a reaction, and I guess it comes down to how engrained in you is the desire to hold on to life," Ishizaki said. When asked to explain where this experience has left him emotionally, he said, "I have mixed emotions. The respect and appreciation that I have received from my shipmates is a great honor and a tremendous source of pride. Their response has shown me the truest sense of the word 'shipmate.' "But at the same time, I have a sense of sadness because the rescue was necessary. That meant that two lives were at risk. I'd gladly give back the medal to prevent that from ever happening again." Ishizaki’s mother, Jeanette, was on hand for the medal presentation and was visibly moved by the ceremony. As she held back tears she spoke of her pride for her son, but admitted it was hard to express the joy she was feeling. It’s "more than pride. More than I can express in words. It's just outstanding," she said. Ishizaki said the rescue has prompted him to reflect on the importance of life. "I feel a deep sense of respect for life, and after the rescue, I wanted to keep going and continue to do things to help people. So I decided to apply to the Navy's Search and Rescue (SAR) swimmer program." Ishizaki was accepted into the SAR program and has been designated as one of John S. McCain's search and rescue swimmers. He says the lesson to be learned from his experience is the value of life and the need to preserve it. Every so often I receive a thank-you e-mail from one of the women I saved. She e-mails me prayers. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. 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