Thomas F. McKeon saved Alfred J. Crasco and attempted to save Edward C. Crasco and Robert Crasco from drowning, Dorchester, Massachusetts, September 29, 1963. At night when their boat swamped in a cove in Dorchester Bay, Alfred, 34, auto body shop manager, and his brother Edward, 35, welding supervisor, started to swim toward shore 450 feet away, but the latter’s son Robert, 17, landscaper, a poor swimmer, clung to the boat. Alfred soon began to tire but, after getting no response to calls to his brother and nephew, continued swimming shoreward and shouted for help. His cries were heard by a man and woman in an automobile on shore, and they reported the situation to McKeon at a nearby yacht club. In the beam of automobile headlights directed onto the water, McKeon, 30, welder, dimly saw Alfred 90 feet from shore. Undressing to his trousers and underwear, McKeon waded 10 feet and swam to Alfred, who was inert and floating face down in deep water. McKeon held Alfred’s face out of the water and towed him to shore, experiencing difficulty because of the tidal current and the cold water. After being revived, Alfred told McKeon of the accident and implored him to get the others. McKeon re-entered the water as a police car arrived and also directed its headlights in his path. Searching without success, McKeon swam to 175 feet from shore. Although chilled and somewhat winded, he then swam parallel to shore a total of 150 feet but still saw no one. By that time his limbs ached and, noticing a Coast Guard boat moving toward him in the darkness, he swam with effort to shore. McKeon climbed out of the water, nearly exhausted. The bodies of Robert and Edward later were recovered.
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