THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 14, 1994 TAG: 9409130315
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JACK DORSEY
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Rodger Spruill Jr. sat with his back to the brisk Chesapeake Bay wind as it rolled over the dune line at Fort Story, his parents, five brothers and two sisters in the audience facing him.
At the foot of the nearby lectern, surrounded by yellow mums, was a framed picture of his brother, Jeffrey M. Spruill - his fashionably long blond hair and youthful good looks radiating the energy of a vibrant 20-year-old ready to catch the world.
Rodger Spruill, at 45 a seasoned Norfolk firefighter who has witnessed tragedy countless times, listened silently, a white handkerchief in his hand wiping away the tears as the ceremony progressed.
The Coast Guard honored Jeffrey as a hero Monday, officially entering him into an elite cadre of 656 people who have been awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal over the last 120 years.
Gathered behind the Harbor Master building on Atlantic Avenue, less than three-quarters of a mile from where Jeffrey died on that raw Jan. 26 morning, the family heard Rear Adm. William J. Ecker, commander of the 5th Coast Guard District, praise the young mariner for his efforts seven months ago in trying to save the life of a Greek seaman who had fallen from his launch.
``By honoring him today, we honor his heroism, his attempt to save another without regard for his own safety,'' said Ecker.
Added Rep. Owen B. Pickett, who has taken a special interest in the case: ``How easy it would have been, when his distressed fellow seaman failed to grasp the life lines thrown to him, for Jeffrey to have said, `I tried. I did all I could.' But that wasn't Jeffrey's way.''
Jeffrey, a Norfolk native who attended Christ the King School and graduated in 1991 from Norfolk Catholic High School, had been working for Jack's Launch Service, quickly learning the hard life of a mariner, but enjoying it every day, according to Rodger.
It was 1:35 a.m. The bay was frigid with 42-degree water temperature, 48-degree air temperature. One- to 2-foot seas were being pushed by 8 to 10 knots of wind out of the northwest.
Jeffery was working as a crewman with Garland Godfrey aboard the launch Cape Hatteras, ferrying six passengers from Lynnhaven Inlet to the collier Pantelis A. Lemos, anchored just east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
One of the passengers, Georgios Dracodaidis, was attempting to board the coal-hauling ship using an accommodation ladder when he lost his balance and fell.
Jeffrey yelled, ``man overboard,'' and ran forward to throw a life ring. Then he threw another; then an oar; then a fuel stick. It was apparent Dracodaidis by then lacked the strength to help himself because of the numbing water.
Jeffrey dived in, swam to Dracodaidis, placed him in a lifesaving arm hold and held his head above water.
Godfrey deployed the launch's life raft, towing it behind as Jeffrey fought to to stay afloat.
Just as Jeffrey reached for the raft, both men slipped beneath the surface.
When they resurfaced, Jeffrey struggled to maintain a hold on the victim. Gaining control, he once again reached for the raft, but could not grasp it. He fought to control Dracodaidis, but began succumbing to hypothermia and exhaustion.
The launch again brought the life raft near the two men. Then Godfrey jumped into the water after them.
But it was too late. Both had slipped beneath the water for the final time. They have never been seen again.
Rodger Spruill Jr., the seasoned firefighter, with twice the years of Jeffrey and more experience at lifesaving that most, summed up his brother's courageous act very simply:
``I don't think I could have done it.'' MEMO: To share your views on a military topic, send us a column to the
address in the box at left. by CNB