Henry R. Hammer died participating in the saving of five persons from drowning, Kismet Beach, New York, June 20, 1970. The five persons, 13 to 15, were frolicking in surf in the Atlantic Ocean when a strong current carried them away from the beach. Unable to swim shoreward, they called for help. Hammer, 35, attorney, and others entered the cold water and swam to the five young people, who by then had been carried to 120 feet from shore. Although the extent of Hammer’s participation could not be established, all five persons were returned to shore safely. It then was noticed that Hammer had been carried to 450 feet from the beach; and he later was seen being moved shoreward by the surf. Others brought Hammer to the beach, but he could not be revived.
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