Navy Divers Thomas Parhiala and John McLeod, Saving the World
Navy Times is reporting a pair of Navy divers were in the right place at the right time on March 23 when they witnessed a Jeep Cherokee careen off the road near Rockport, Maine, and into Chickawaukie Lake.
Navy Diver Third Class Thomas Parhiala, of Salem, New Hampshire, and Navy Diver Third Class John McLeod, of Wiscasset, Maine, were on a quick trip to McLeod’s hometown to pick up his motorcycle when they saw the Jeep suddenly swerve off the highway.
“It was getting dark and it was one of those surreal experiences as we both saw the Cherokee go into the water about 400 yards in front of us,” Parhiala, who was driving, told Navy Times. “We both kind of looked at each other and said ‘did you see that?’”
Nothing more needed to be said. The men stopped the vehicle, ran down the sharp 20-foot embankment and went headfirst into the water, swimming out to the vehicle.
“The vehicle was in the water and sinking, but the passenger window was either open or gone and the driver was just floating between the front seat and back seat,” Parhiala said
While pulling the man from the vehicle, the sailors looked around to make sure there weren’t others who needed help.
“He started to come to, so I started screaming at him asking if anyone else was in there,” McLeod said. Both recalled the driver, Jonathan Marr, 35, of Thomaston, Maine, saying “no.”
But to be sure, Parhiala stayed to look around. McLeod, meanwhile, swam Marr to shore.
The rescue only took a few minutes from start to finish, but by the time they were back on shore, additional motorists had stopped, and some had called for help.
Neither have met or talked to Mann since the incident, and the divers say they don’t believe they did anything special. Their first priority was taking care of the driver, they said, then getting themselves warm.
“We just did what had to be done,” Parhiala said. “It wasn’t anything special, we just happened to be the first ones on the scene.”
Well done, gentlemen, damn well done! This old helo rescue swimmer is proud of you both.
Category: Search and Rescue
Cold water, cold air — eeeewwwww!
Good for them!
At best, that water might be in the upper 30s. Brave, skillful and ballsy. It would be interesting to know what caused the driver to drop his beer… or whatever distraction may have occurred.
What rank is Diver 3rd Class? Is it like being a PO 3rd Class, an E-4?
Yep, Diver is their rating, 3rd class is their rank…..
Yup
Yeah, I live just down the road from where this happened. Te water around here is NEVER warm enough to swim in, at least by my standards.
As another AW swimmer, I helped test the Imperial wetsuits the Navy adopted for flight crews. We did this in mid-August in Casco Bay, off Portland. Lemme tell you what, the air temp might have been in the low 90’s, but that water was wikkid cold.
BZ to both those Navy Divers for their actions. The Gods really do watch out for fools and drunks.
You run off the road and dump your SUV into deep water: bad day, hope you like drowning!
You run off the road and dump your SUV into deep water, and just happen to do it in front of two Navy divers: you may just be the luckiest bastard on Earth!
Badass…thank God for people like these two men.
Definitely a pair of brass-balled Young Warriors.
I mean, what are the fucking astronomical odds, of not one, but two Navy divers being anywhere near an accident involving a vehicle into a lake?
Thank you Jesus!
Yup, The Man Upstairs was watching out for him!
You did well, gentlemen.
Here’s a local article on this. First, from the pictures that water looks really cold. I think it’s the icebergs floating by that tipped me off.
Second, mr Marr is a bit of a dick. According to his dad, he just walked to shore by himself and didn’t have any help at all. Uh huh. Good thing there was another witness present to corroborate the divers stories. Talk about ungrateful!
http://www.wiscassetnewspaper.com/article/driver-rescued-chickawaukie-lake-rockport-after-jeep-veers-highway-water/99487
Well, see, if his dad finds out he was driving drunk and totaled the car that way, he’s toast.
What an ungrateful person.
“Marr said he thought he was going to die, and he was able to save himself only by the will to live for his children.”
Yeah. Sure. That was it.
Marr is an ingrate, but that does not detract from these Navy Divers’ deeds. And it may be that Jonathan Marr was incapacitated from some substances he should not have been taking and does not really remember what happened – it would not surprise me.
Thomas Parhiala and John McLeod are heroes.
It appears that Jonathan Marr is quite an ungrateful little shit after getting rescued by Real Men after he dunked a perfectly good SUV in the cold water.
Navy Divers, both from the NE..they had this 100% cold (no pun intended), with their eyes closed and 1 hand on their beers.
BZ Boys. Word has it that Poseidon approves.
And Davy Jones has a shiny new Jeep in his locker, too. Win-win!
Real Men keeping it together and doing the right thing when the SHTF.
Outstanding rescue, great job fellas!
Outstanding! Bravo Zulu!
Your humbleness speaks volumes.
Damn fine work, gentlemen, all your humility aside.
I move that the white S’s on their chests be replaced with big red ones.
HooYah … Navy Divers. BZ.
Well done, gents.
The survival time in 40-degree water is measured in minutes, and they didn’t waste any of them, regardless of Mr. Marr’s ungrateful attitude.