The town of Lake Waccamaw recognized a league of extraordinary heroes at their August monthly meeting on Tuesday night. Several citizens, first responders, and town officials were involved with what everyone is calling a ‘miracle’ after the near drowning and rescue of an adult and two children on July 23.
Matthew Poole, partner Alicia Brown, and their boys, Julian Poole, Brayden Allen, and Waylon Poole, had taken Alicia’s mother’s new boat out on the water. The lake was calm and they only planned to be gone for mere minutes.
The two eldest kids took their life jackets off to swim just a couple of yards from the boat, but as a storm blew in, the water began to churn and push the vessel away from the youngsters. Poole and Brown tried to start the engine to pull the boat closer to the children, but a faulty ignition switch kept the motor from turning on.
“I looked at the boys and saw the panic start to set in on their faces,” said the father.
Poole grabbed one of the life jackets and jumped in the water to save them, only to come to the realization that he himself also needed saving.
“As the waves rolled over us, I grabbed Julian and picked him up to keep water from going over his head. Every time I did, I would go under myself.”
Poole said he kept encouraging the kids to keep fighting, and the guys began praying together when conditions took a turn for the worst.
The three found themselves clinging to the small life jacket to stay afloat as Brown began dialing 911 and trying to get the attention of others out on the water that her family was in distress.
Mayor Matt Wilson tearfully recalled the emotional event at 1779 Waccamaw Shores Road.
“I pulled up to the house on Waccamaw Shores, and there was a woman screaming and crying to the top of her lungs,” choked out the mayor.
Wilson said the fire and rescue boat had already been launched, and Donald Smith and other members of the department were working together to find the swimmers as a storm brewed over the water.
Trooper Jackson Cook happened to be out on the lake with his family when he noticed a woman yelling and distraught at the end of her boat. She was blowing a whistle and throwing life jackets into the water. He said he climbed aboard the vessel, grabbed the phone from her hand, and begin talking to Lake Waccamaw police officer Jeff Marlowe about the situation.
“I was talking to Jeff who was on the other end of the phone, communicating to him about where we were at, who all we had in the water, and what all was going on,” explained Cook.
As the rain began to pour down and the storm raged on, Chief Jerry Gore drew closer to the swimmers after catching a glimpse of their heads and seeing Poole waving frantically to the rescue team’s boat. First responders threw a rope to Brayden who caught it. As the father grew tired and began to sink beneath the waves, Gore jumped in the water, grabbed Julian, and strapped Poole to his own life jacket to pull them safety.
At the meeting, both Marlowe and Cook were awarded a Lake Waccamaw Hometown Hero award. Jerry Gore was given the Life Saving award.
Gore humbly accepted the plaque stating “I didn’t do anything more than get my phone wet.”
Manager Damon Kempski said he tried calling the chief during the rescue mission, but when he phoned him back, he spoke nothing of the heroic efforts he performed.
“He didn’t tell me anything that had went on. For him, it was just another day at the office,” commended Kempski.
Mayor Wilson also thanked Donald and Teresa Smith, Anthony Jones, Ron Sasser, and other fire and rescue members for their involvement in the miracle mission.
The recount of that July afternoon ended with town leaders, staff, and attendees singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Julian who will be celebrating his birthday on Aug. 9 thanks to the quick response and efforts by the folks in Lake Waccamaw.
