CNATTU Oceana student saves child from drowning

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Right place, right time.

A Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Oceana student saved a 9-year-old boy caught in a rip current while serving as a lifeguard at Dam Neck Annex beaches June 30.

When a child was struggling to swim in the current, the sailor, Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Michael Y. Yang, was extremely observant, identified the danger, and jumped into action. He saw the boy swimming about 20 yards off shore and realized the boy may be in danger.

“It was very high tides. [The] strong current pulled the kid into deeper water,” Yang said. “[The] kid began struggling and I noticed from the stand and radioed “Charlie Down” and sprinted and swam out to him.”

Yang said the child was yelling for help in between swallowing water.

“When I got to him, I jammed the [lifeguard rescue] can into his chest and shouted at him to hold the can but he wasn’t responding or grabbing it, so I grabbed his body with my left arm and kept him tight on the can with my right arm while executing a combat sidestroke kicking toward shore,” Yang said.

Yang said the child most likely blacked out from exhaustion while struggling in the surf and regained consciousness by the time they got to shore.

"I figured the boy must have passed out from exhaustion, so I knew I needed to get him out of the water as quickly as possible,” Yang said. “Luckily, he regained consciousness when we were close to the shore."

Yang successfully pulled him to a safe distance from the water and helped supervise his condition until EMTs arrived. The boy was able to walk to his family.  EMTs transported the boy to a nearby hospital where his condition was stable.

Yang, 21, who grew up in Savannah, Georgia, has been a lifeguard since high school and continued his service to the public even after he joined the U.S. Navy in August 2019. Yang began his lifeguard career because he had some free time and wanted to utilize this skillset to save a life if necessary.

"I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to save that boy so he could be alive today," Yang said. "I also want to shout out to my leadership at CNATTU Oceana—AT1 Hunt, AT1 Jones, and Chief Santo. Their leadership helped me a lot and they were a great support for me while I was there."

Yang has responded to other past incidents. During his first summer as a lifeguard, he saved two children swimming and responded to a spinal injury. In his second season, he responded to a boating accident
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 “I enjoy staying physically fit and being a lifeguard requires that,” Yang said.

Yang has honorably served in the Navy for the past four years and wants to become a civilian pilot. He has since transferred to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32 and in the future he plans to go to Baylor University in Texas.