Gary J. Klakamp saved Teresa K. Bryant from drowning, Seymour, Indiana, May 24, 1964. Teresa, 12, a poor swimmer, stepped off a submerged sand bar into deeper water in the East Fork of the White River and was submerged briefly. She flailed wildly and screamed for help as the current moved her away from the bank and carried her downstream. Gary, 17, schoolboy, was wading at the other side of the river. He swam diagonally across the current after Teresa, who was submerging intermittently in the muddy water. After a total swim of 375 feet, during which a drifting tree limb scraped his chest, Gary reached Teresa 25 feet from the bank in water 10 feet deep. Already slightly winded, Gary took hold of Teresa, who grasped his shoulder. Both sank to the bottom, where Gary tried without success to break free. He returned to the surface with Teresa, who released him and immediately began to sink. Gary took hold of her and her attempts to grasp him caused them to be submerged briefly again. Teresa continued to squirm as Gary towed her diagonally across the current for 75 feet to wadable water. Her father aided Gary in taking Teresa five feet to the bank.
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