The Chief of the Billerica Police Department Daniel Rosa will honor Frank, Eileen, Patrolmen Cogswell, Rayne and Herring at a ceremony on December 19, 2011.
Local reporting of the event is listed here
http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_19479473
Wow! That’s a pretty good story.
Thanks for posting. (Glad you’re here to post.)
Praise be to our Heavenly Father for sending earthly angels!!!!
Where was the spare paddle (even if only a kids model)?
thanks for posting your story.
Amazing, thanks for sharing...glad you are ok!
Thank goodness for them, Jerry. I’m glad you’re okay now. Thank you for sharing this with us.All of those folks are heroes.
Dave
By the way, VERY well written description of what happened.
Great story and one to take to heart.
This doesn’t only apply to northern lakes in winter. Northern lakes can also be frigid in spring. So while the air temp could be mild, the water may still be in the 30’s.
As you learned, it’s always wise to wear a life jacket when the water temp is 60 or below.
Dittos about the extra paddle in any kind of boat at any time.
Smart wife!
Praise be to God and all involved. You sir are a very lucky man, life is fragile
I’m happy that you are here to tell us about it.
I’m betting you will never again be on the water without your life jacket firmly in place.
God is good.
You my friend were very, very lucky.
What a story! Thanks to God and those five individuals, you made it out alive.
My favorite part was when Eileen dove into the lake.
bttt
Bless them all and bless you. You have a gift, the rest of your life. Enjoy it with both grace and gusto!
Wow, your very lucky.
I know the area, was born and raised in Mass.
Wow. Like reading a Reader’s Digest story. Very well written. Happy things worked out for you. That so many people dived into the freezing water to help is a wonderful testament to the nobility of the species. God bless.
I am glad you survived.
Some rules I remember from lifesaving.
1) The one that saved me “Don’t Panic”
2) The one Frank used “Throw, Row, Go”
God bless and don’t forget the damn life vest/PFD
Seriously, well told and take care.
Once, I was camping with some buddies by a watershed lake (more of a pond) in WV in early April.
A storm came up and we had to abandon camp due to rising water. We were camping where the feeder creek entered the lake, The next day, our camp was underwater. The jon boat that I had beached on the side of the creek was gone.
My party walked around the perimeter of the lake, through the woods. My friend’s little brother, who was about 14 at the time, went ahead of us. When he got to the wide part of the lake, he saw the boat on the opposite side, about 100 yards away.
Without waiting for us, he jumped in and swam after the boat. Even in early spring, the water was cold enough to pose a real risk of hypothermia. He didn’t bother to take his boots off.
He made it to the boat and paddled it back to us. Only later did we learn how close to death he came that day. He’d gone under a few times and struggled to the surface. Despite that, he never called out to us.
When he told his dad about it afterward, he cried.
If he’d drowned, I’d have never forgiven myself. Today he’s got a lovely family with four kids.
I guess the moral is: water is a jealous b***h and not one to be trifled with. Like you, I tell everyone in hopes that they don’t end up making the same mistake.