KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- It was a typical afternoon at the beach for Richard Howell and his family until he heard a yell from the water nearby. At first, Howell dismissed the Japanese voice as outside conversation, but then realized his family was the only one still at the beach.
As he got closer, Howell noticed a man waving one arm for help while holding a boy in the other. The senior airman knew then that the two were in trouble and quickly swam out to help. When Howell reached the man, he saw how grave the boy's condition was.
"The boy's body was limp, and he had white foam around his mouth," explained the senior airman from the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron. "The whole time the father was pounding his fist into the boys back, screaming what I can only imagine was 'don't die!'"
Airman Howell and the boy's father together carried the boy back to shore. That's when the Airman's self-aid and buddy care training kicked in.
"When we got to shore I put the boy on his back and immediately started ABC - Airway, Breathing and Circulation, but he was completely unresponsive," said Allen Park, Michigan native.
When Airman Howell put his ear to the boy's chest, he noticed the boy was breathing, but it was extremely shallow. Though the Airman had no real medical training, he decided his last chance was to perform CPR.
After a few breaths, Airman Howell determined the boy was breathing more normally and put him in the recovery position. While the boy never spit up any water from his lungs, he began to blink as he slowly regained consciousness.
Not long after, local paramedics arrived on-scene and escorted the boy to the ambulance. Before leaving with his boy, the father came back to talk to the Airman.
"The father came to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Thank you,'" Airman Howell recounted. "After they left, I sat out on a rock in the water for a few minutes, holding back tears thinking about what just happened."
Not long after the incident, the boy, Tatsuki, sent a thank you letter to Airman Howell, as did his grandmother, who wrote...
"Dear our hero, thank you for your great support. Without your rescue, Tatsuki would not be here today. He is very lucky, and we are grateful for everything you have done for us. Please enjoy your life here in Okinawa and please keep in touch with us."
For his heroic actions, Airman Howell was presented a certificate of appreciation from Higa Tomomitsu, Kadena Town's chief of police, during a formal ceremony at the town's police station Nov. 1.
"I'm glad I was able to help someone when they needed it most," said Airman Howell. "It's something I'll never forget."