VIDEO: Los Angeles County Deputy Awarded Medal of Valor for Off-Duty Rescue
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy was honored with the national Public Safety Medal of Valor by Vice President Joe Biden last week for saving a teenager from drowning.
Deputy Jenna Underwood-Nunez, who was five months pregnant, was off-duty and camping with her family when she “observed a boy struggling in the lake about 100 yards from shore,” a White House statement said.
"Fully clothed, she swam toward the victim, only to learn that the struggling boy was trying to draw attention to his brother, submerged in 15 feet of water," the statement said.
Underwood-Nunez dove to the bottom of the lake, pulled the 17-year-old boy up and brought him to shore where she performed CPR. The boy later made a full recovery, CBS2 reports.
The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, authorized by law in 2001, is the highest national award for valor presented to a public safety officer. The medal is awarded to officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life.
Read Dep. Underwood-Nunez' PoliceMag.com blog post about the incident and her post about pregnancy while on duty.
