Donald Eugene Going helped to save David Anderson Young from suffocation and helped attempt to save Johnny Russell Mills, Jr., Trenton, Georgia, April 16, 1966. Young and Mills, both 19-year-old college students, were overcome by noxious gases in a cave while attempting to save a group of Boy Scouts and their leader. The scouting party had been exploring the cave when fumes from gasoline leaking there caused a violent explosion and a huge flash of flames. They lay overcome about 225 feet from the cave’s entrance, and Mills and Young were felled at points about 115 feet and 95 feet, respectively, from the entrance. Going, 18, college student, had arrived at the cave with Young, Mills, and others on learning of the explosion. An experienced cave explorer who had been in the affected cave previously, he too entered the cave in a rescue attempt, along with another student, and came upon Young. They placed a mask on him, assisted him to his feet, and guided him, staggering, to the foot of the steep slope extending to the cave entrance. There, they tied a rope to him. Going then donned a mask, turned back into the cave, and found Mills. He removed the mask and put it on Mills, but Mills was delirious and removed it. Telling Mills to keep the mask on, Going returned to the slope, where Young was being raised to safety by rope. Going tried to climb the slope but lost consciousness. Rescue squad members arrived, descended the slope, and tied ropes around Going, who was then pulled out. Mills was then removed by them, as was a youth who also had been overcome in a rescue attempt. As they could not be revived, hope was abandoned for the members of the scouting party. Several hours later, when a breeze entered the cave and improved conditions, the scouts began to revive and called for help. Rescue efforts resumed, and the scouts were removed from the cave. They recovered, but the scout leader was found fatally injured, having fallen from the ledge. Young and Going required hospital treatment, and they too recovered.
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