Georgia Member Saves Men from Drowning

Keith Bradshaw was bass fishing on a Georgia lake on a cold November night and really wasn't looking to become a hero.

But his quick thinking and bravery saved two men from drowning, said Corporal Brent Railey of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Bradshaw, a member of CWA Local 3290, was out on West Point Lake about 1:30 a.m. When he heard cries for help coming from under the bridge, he called 911, then fired up his boat and "started yelling into the darkness." At the bridge, Bradshaw shined his spotlight and saw two men, their boat already sunk. One man was completely in the water and the other was barely holding onto a rope coming off the bridge. Neither could swim.

The rescue team was on top of the bridge so it was up to Bradshaw to save the men. He struggled to pull them into his boat, then headed in the darkness for the dock to get them medical treatment. "My main concern was making sure that those guys were safe. I was afraid, but I didn't think twice," he said. Bradshaw's boat was damaged as he went into the dock.

Railey commended Bradshaw's quick work and said that sometimes rescue attempts end in tragedy because "it is very difficult to pull someone onto a boat. Often, these situations result in the rescuer being pulled overboard or injured."

Lucent Technologies recognized Bradshaw for going "above and beyond in this life saving matter." 

Bradshaw himself credits his faith in God and lessons he learned from his grandfather — to be prepared and to be safe — with helping him make the rescue that night.