Howard L. Wood, Jr., 22, pipefitter, saved Debra R. Hause, 17, from drowning, Racine, Wisconsin, December 13, 1969. At night the automobile in which Miss Hause was riding plunged off a bridge and was submerged in the Root River. Escaping from the vehicle, Miss Hause surfaced amid broken ice floating in the water, which was 15 feet deep, and started to swim toward the bank but called out that she could not make it. Noting that none of the persons at the scene was preparing to go to the aid of Miss Hause, Wood jumped from the bridge into the ice-filled water 15 feet below. Surfacing within five feet of Miss Hause, who then was 45 feet from the bank, Wood swam to her. He then began pushing her toward the bank, progressing with difficulty because of the cold. After moving 20 feet, they reached a shelf of thin ice, which Miss Hause broke without effort as Wood pushed her the rest of the way to the bank.
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