Glenn M. Koppes helped to save Robert P. Saunders, Jr., from drowning, San Pedro, California, January 11, 1987. Robert, 10, fell from a ledge into turbulent water of the Pacific Ocean and was carried away from shore. Koppes, 23, construction laborer, jumped in after him and swam through 12-foot breakers to Robert, reaching him at a point about 120 feet out. Koppes and another man who had swum out supported Robert until lifeguards arrived. As one of the lifeguards took Robert to a rescue boat, Koppes and the other man swam to the boat, Koppes requiring assistance. Exhausted by their 30-minute ordeal, Koppes, Robert, and the other man were treated for hypothermia, and they recovered.
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