Schools
Lifesaving Efforts Earn Pennsbury Junior Valor Award
JROTC cadet Ben Primich saved a swimmer last summer. The valor award was the first Pennsbury has given out.
FALLSINGTON, PA —A Pennsbury High School junior has been recognized with a valor award for his lifesaving efforts over the summer.
Ben Primich received the Air Force Junior ROTC Silver Valor Award during a school ceremony on Feb. 14 with his family present. It is the second-highest ribbon a cadet can earn in JROTC, school officials said.
Primich was at a wrestling camp last summer when he saw a swimmer not moving at the bottom of a pool.
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Noticing that no lifeguard was available, Primich jumped into the pool and pulled the swimmer to safety.
He then began lifesaving compressions until emergency services arrived. His immediate actions potentially saved the life of the individual, school officials said.
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"This award is not given easily, and this is the only time we have given it," said Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. James MacEachern, Pennsbury’s JROTC teacher. "It's given in specific instances when there is verifiable proof of an act of valor."
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