Patrick John Miller helped to save Todd W. and Terrance M. Mason from drowning, Waldport, Oregon, June 8, 1981. Todd, 31, and Terrance, 35, were trapped in the engine room of a capsized fishing vessel in turbulent waters of the Pacific Ocean. At night, after the Masons were heard knocking on the hull of the vessel, Miller, 29, construction worker and part-time diver, and another man donned scuba gear and were taken to the scene by the U. S. Coast Guard. They submerged and entered the vessel to clear it of debris and search for the Masons. As the other man continued the search, Miller surfaced to serve as a back-up on the exposed portion of the vessel, which was rolling in the extremely rough seas. After leaving it for additional equipment and to establish the Masons’ location, Miller and the other diver returned. Again Miller stayed on the surface of the rolling vessel, often submerging, but this time with no air supply, he having given his air tank to the other diver for use with the Masons. The other diver aided the Masons, one at a time, from the engine room to the surface, where Miller aided each to the safety of a nearby boat. Miller cracked four ribs during the three-hour rescue, but recovered.
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