Naval Station Mayport sailor receives one of Navy’s highest honors for miraculous rescue

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Naval Station Mayport Search and Rescue swimmer Justin Olson dove into the water and extremely rough sea conditions off the coast of South Carolina on Mar. 11, 2023, to rescue a boater lost at sea.

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Olson pulled off what has been called a nearly impossible rescue mission, unable to even use a small rescue boat due to the rough waves. Olson hung off the side of his ship by a tether while performing the rescue, saving one boater whose vessel was disabled out in the open waters.

“The main thing I remember was just dealing with the sea state, getting pushed into the ship, and kind of everything around me getting turned off. And going ‘what did I go through, what did I learn in training,” Olson recalled.

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Friday morning at the Naval Station Mayport, Olson was presented with the Navy & Marine Corps medal for his heroism - an award only given out once every four years.

“It’s incredibly humbling and wild, and it’s nice to see that search and rescue swimmers are kinda getting recognized,” Olson told Action News at Friday’s ceremony.

While Olson said he couldn’t be any more honored for this recognition of heroism, he was quick to point out it was far from a solo effort.

“Fortunately [everyone] on the bridge and deck crew was phenomenal. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have made it out the water,” he said.

With Olson now transferring elsewhere after his heroism on the USS Cooperstown, his example of heroic service will live at the Naval Station Mayport.

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