by Ben Golombek
17-year-old A.J. Wilson proved that heroes can be any age last March by fearlessly pulling a man from a riptide off Hermosa Beach without stopping to worry for his own safety.
Because of his quick thinking and life-saving action, Wilson, a Junior Cadet Lifeguard was awarded with the South Bay Medal of Valor’s Distinguished Service Award on August 1 as part of the International Surf Festival’s Los Angeles County Lifeguard Medal of Valor dinner in Redondo Beach.
“Everything about that day was demanding,” said Dick Douglas, master of ceremonies at the award dinner. “[The] surf was demanding, water temperature was demanding, rip-tides were pulling, and lifeguards were making rescues.”
When Wilson and his father Jeff arrived at the beach in south Hermosa ready for an afternoon of bodysurfing, the majority of lifeguards on the beach had been called north for a larger rescue.
As they swam out, Wilson asked his father if he heard a nearby swimmer calling for help. Getting closer, he knew this was the case – the man had been pulled into a rip current and there were no lifeguards nearby able to help.
“A.J, instinctively swam directly to the individual, ascertained that in fact he was in trouble, had him roll over on his back and calmed him down,” said Douglas. “He told him to kick his legs, and without any kind of special equipment that lifeguards use, A.J. dragged him out of the rip current and back to the shore”.
While Wilson cared for the victim on the sand, Wilson’s father Scott saw three individuals about to be pulled into another rip current nearby and corralled them onto the beach – something A.J. said he is thankful for.
“I was worried I was going to have to go out and get them,” said Wilson. “And when he corralled them and pulled them back in it definitely made me relaxed.”
This kind of teamwork is what gave A.J. the help and support he needed to finish supporting the victim without losing focus, Douglas said.
He added that Wilson’s help allowed on-duty lifeguards to save lives on the other side of the beach without sacrificing them elsewhere.
Wilson didn’t stop to question whether or not he should go in and look for help, Douglas said.
“Nothing was going through my head. It was just instinct,” Wilson said.
“I thought I was going to die, and had about 10 seconds left in my life when AJ appeared and saved me,” the victim, Andrew, 25, unknown last name, told LA County Lifeguard Program Captain Kyle Daniels.
A.J. thanked the Junior Lifeguard Cadets program for his success in saving a life.
“This is one of the situations we train for. We do a lot of rescue situations that involve people sitting out on the ocean and we go get them,” Wilson said. “They taught me to just go. When in doubt, go. It just kicked in.”
Wilson said that he is well aware that the things could have gone differently in May.
“I could have pushed out a hundred meters south and not heard this individual’s cry for help,” he said.
Because of the rescue, Wilson said he knows what he wants to do for a career.
“It definitely shaped what I’m looking at now – I’m looking at being a lifeguard for the rest of my life,” said Wilson. “…The rescue definitely affected me. I talked to the victim, and he was so thankful… It wasn’t until after that I felt a little shaken that I did what I did. I guess you could call it being a little scared.”
“A.J. Wilson learned his JG [Junior Guard] lessons well,” Douglas said. “And really put them to use.”
