Joseph L. Vandenhouten helped to save Edward McCool from drowning, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 24, 1988. McCool, 20, floundered in a rip current of the Atlantic Ocean and called for help. From the beach, Vandenhouten, 45, airline customer service agent, and another man waded and swam to him. They grasped him and, with difficulty, swam against the current toward shore, McCool in tow. When Vandenhouten and the other man had taken McCool to a point near wadable water, McCool swam and waded ashore on his own. Struggling against the current, Vandenhouten and the other man then called for help. They eventually reached wadable water, from which they had to be assisted to shore by others. Exhausted, Vandenhouten was hospitalized overnight for treatment; he recovered.
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