Photo By Staff Sgt. Christopher Stoltz | Staff Sgt. John Kinsley III, JTAC weapons officer, 25th Air Support Operations...... read more read more
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DILLINGHAM BEACH, WAIALUA, HAWAII – By day, Staff Sgt. John E. Kinsley III, 25th Air Support Operations Squadron, is a tactical air control party specialist, or TACP. When he is not engaged in an active mission, he spends his time training for a litany of different scenarios, both combative and non-combative.
Although he is trained to eliminate the enemy abroad, on Jan. 18, 2016, John Kinsley was a life-saver. Kinsley was able to use his skills garnered from his Air Force and U.S. Army training to rescue a kayaker from his potential demise.
“I was enjoying a day on the beach with my family when we noticed a kayaker practicing in the waves,” said Kinsley. “All of a sudden, we saw the kayak coming into shore, but the person inside it wasn’t.”
Calvin, who did not provide his last name, was the person in the kayak and shared his perspective of the experience.
“I was kayak-surfing a few hundred feet off the beach when my kayak was overturned and swept away,” said Calvin, “I immediately started swimming toward shore, battling the currents with waves constantly crashing on me.”
Calvin said he knew there wasn't a good chance of him making it all the way back to shore.
Kinsley said he noticed Calvin was caught in a riptide, who was attempting to wave his arms and call out for help. Answering his call, Kinsley immediately grabbed a boogey board from one of his children, and immediately leapt into ocean, battling sets of 10-15 foot waves in the process.
“I think as a TACP, when you’re going through training, they instill the fundamental value of ‘never give up,’ said Kinsley. “When I was heading out there, it was never a question of if I was going to make it. I had to get out there, the entire time I was thinking; ‘I’m not going fast enough.’
Speed and Kinsley’s reaction time was paramount in this incident, as he swam more than 150-feet into the Pacific to lend a hand to the kayaker in need.
“As I got closer to Calvin, he got a burst of motivation and started making his way to me,” said Kinsley. “I grabbed onto him, gave him the boogey board and made sure he got his breath back before we headed back to shore.”
The two swam east along the shore until they were freed from the riptide’s grasp. Once they arrived back on the beach, Kinsley made sure Calvin was okay before heading back to his family. He also said the feeling didn’t quite sink in until people started coming up to him and thanking him on the beach.
“I guess I didn’t even realize what just happened, it was just a relief to see that he was okay,” said Kinsley. “It just felt like the right thing to do, he needed help. There were a few other groups of people on the beach, but I was in the right place at the right time. I know my peers would do the same exact thing.”
Before leaving, Calvin exchanged information with Kinsley and was able to send an email to his chain-of-command, thanking him for his efforts.
"Honestly, I'm not shocked to hear that John didn't hesitate one second when he saw that man's life in danger,” said Lt. Col. Russell J Hall, 25th ASOS commander. “I'm very proud of what John did. He is a role-model in the 25 ASOS and proves it each day with selfless actions like these."
In the email, Calvin said Kinsley’s selfless act is a much appreciated act of kindness that he will forever be thankful of.
“He (Kinsley) was the only person who risked his life to help save mine,” said Calvin. “It was a pleasure to cross paths with SSgt. Kinsley. Since this incident, every breath of air has been more enjoyable. I know that without his help, there's a good chance I may not be breathing at all.”
| Date Taken: | 01.27.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 01.27.2016 14:05 |
| Story ID: | 187149 |
| Location: | DILLINGHAM BEACH, WAIALUA, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 359 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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