West Point cadet from St. Louis dies after trying save someone from drowning

Freda'sMom

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So sad.

West Point cadet from St. Louis dies after trying save someone from drowning, family says

Family members said a St. Louis man who was swept under by a rip current off the coast of a beach on Long Island last week had by Tuesday night lost his fight to survive the near drowning.

First-year West Point Academy cadet Tom Surdyke, 19, was on vacation Friday in Southampton, N.Y., with another cadet when he attempted to save a person from drowning.

The family had hopes for a recovery until Tuesday night, when they posted on Facebook that Surdyke "has passed."
 
Graduated from a school with 20 miles of us. Devastating. Deepest sympathies and prayers.
 
Awful Awful news....
So sorry for the families and his class.
 
Tragic tragic. This has been very heartbreaking

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
Do my Army friends know if the Soldier's Medal would be posthumously awarded for a case like this? Small consolation for devastated family, but something to recognize his bravery for long-term family memory.
 
Do my Army friends know if the Soldier's Medal would be posthumously awarded for a case like this? Small consolation for devastated family, but something to recognize his bravery for long-term family memory.

The US Coast Guard's Gold Lifesaving Medal should also be considered for his heroic actions.

1. Eligibility. The Commandant awards the Gold and Silver Lifesaving Medals
under the general criteria listed below:

a. The Gold Lifesaving Medal or the Silver Lifesaving Medal may be awarded
to any person who rescues or endeavors to rescue any other person from
drowning, shipwreck, or other perils of the water. The rescue or attempted
rescue must either take place in waters within the U.S. or subject to the
jurisdiction thereof, or one or the other of the parties must be a citizen of the
U.S. or from a vessel or aircraft owned or operated by citizens of the U.S.

(1) The Gold Lifesaving Medal may be awarded to an individual who
performed a rescue or attempted rescue at the risk of his or her own life,
and demonstrates extreme and heroic daring.

(2) The Silver Lifesaving Medal may be awarded to an individual who
performed a rescue or attempted rescue where the circumstances do not
sufficiently distinguish the individual to deserve the medal of gold, but
demonstrate such extraordinary effort as to merit recognition.

(3) Military personnel serving on active duty would normally not be
recommended for Gold and Silver Lifesaving Medals; however, military
personnel may be recommended for a Lifesaving Medal if the act of
heroism was performed while the individual was in a leave or liberty
status.
 
They haven't said yet what happened to the other young man. From what I've heard he is still critical.
 
Attempted rescue either means the person wasn't rescued or he wasn't the one who eventually rescued the person.

That's my confusion.
 
It breaks my heart. My prayers are with his family and friends.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
The incident involved 2 USMA 2019 Cadets and another individual (non-cadet). Surdyke and the non-cadet were caught in a rip current. The non-cadet could not swim. Surdyke saved this individual's life. In the rescue, Surdyke drowned. The other 2019 Cadet was able to get Surdyke the rescue help he needed and CPR was administered. They lost his heartbeat 3 times on the way to the hospital. He was in a coma until he died a couple of days ago.
So sad and tragic.
This is the 2nd Cadet to die this summer.
Heartbreaking.
 
Absolutely horrible event. Prayers for the cadets, their families and their friends.

Regarding the Gold and Silver Lifesaving Medals, I've seen three in my entire life and one of those was someone's great grandfathers, so I've seen two worn on a uniform (one guy with a silver and someone else with a gold.... I think). The situations that the medals are awarded in seem to often be extreme. Two cadets a year ahead of mean swam in a rip current and saved one or two people when I was a 4/c or 3/c. They received either a Commandants Letter of Commendation (a ribbon) or a Coast Guard Achievement Medal. Google the Gold and Silver Lifesaving Medals and see if you can find some of the citations. There are probably some similar examples.
 
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