Shaw Airman saves boy's life

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Matt Davis
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFNS) --  As an air traffic controller with the 20th Operations Support Squadron here, Tech. Sgt. Daniel Sluss is always observant of his surroundings while watching for incoming aircraft.

This situational awareness helped him save a life while on vacation with his family in North Carolina when he and other vacationers saw a boy struggling in the Atlantic Ocean.

Sergeant Sluss' wife noticed someone far off from shore who looked like he was drowning, but she couldn't quite tell what was going on.
Within seconds, Sergeant Sluss was in the water alongside two other vacationers swimming out to help the person in trouble. As he and the others swam closer, they saw it was a teenage boy barely staying above the water.

When he finally got to where he could help, the boy panicked and struggled with Sergeant Sluss at first, not realizing what was going on. Sergeant Sluss said he and the others eventually got him calmed down enough to be pulled back to shore. As he asked the boy to kick to help swim, Sergeant Sluss realized the boy was exhausted from fighting the ocean for so long.

As they arrived on shore, they were met by the boy's family and first responders. 

Sergeant Sluss said he let the responders take over once they were out of the ocean. He later found out from his father, who spoke to the first responders, that the boy's lungs were full of water and if he had stayed in the ocean much longer, he would have drowned.

Sergeant Sluss was immediately recognized by base officials when he returned for his lifesaving day at the beach. When Lt. Col. Clark Quinn, the 20th OSS commander, heard the news, he and wing leaders praised Sergeant Sluss for his selfless actions.

"Sergeant Sluss saw someone in need," Colonel Quinn said. "His actions were quick, correct and exactly what we should all aspire to do if put in a similar circumstance. He's a great example of an Airman using his instincts and training to do the right thing,"

Sergeant. Sluss said he knows now that at a moment's notice, someone could need help from bystanders, who are sometimes complete strangers.
"Always have a wingman," Sergeant Sluss said. "Especially in the ocean when the water is unpredictable."