FORT WORTH -- A Fort Worth man who leapt off his bike last summer and jumped into the Trinity River to save a mother and daughter is a finalist for a valor award given by recipients of the nation's highest military decoration -- the Medal of Honor.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation informed Jeff Harrison, 37, that he was one of 10 finalists for his act of heroism last July. Living Medal of Honor recipients will choose three recipients for its "Citizen Service Before Self" award and honor them in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery."I don't even know what to think," Harrison said Monday. "It's incredible. I can't believe I'm even in the same ballpark as these men."The Fort Worth Fire Department nominated Harrison for the award.On July 5, Harrison, an avid amateur bicycle racer, was on the 37th mile of an hours-long ride when he noticed a commotion in the Trinity River near one of the low-water dams where water shoots through a gap.A man, woman and a 7-year-old girl were all in the water, and the couple's oldest son -- who couldn't swim -- was screaming about the deteriorating situation. The girl had slipped on the rocks and fallen in, and her parents had tried to save her. Harrison shed his biking kit and went into the water to rescue the girl and her mother. After he got both out of the water, the mother was blue, so he started CPR until he got a pulse started and firefighters arrived. The father drowned and was found a short time later by rescue personnel.Later that night, Harrison went to the hospital where the mother was being treated and met the family, and it became "the most moving thing that has ever happened to me," he wrote later for a Texas bicycling magazine. The family invited him to the father's funeral in East Texas a few days later.The family even asked him to speak at the service, where he tried to impart to people that the mother and father had done a lot of work to try to rescue their daughter and that he didn't deserve all the credit.He stays in touch with the mother and children in East Texas. Several months ago he received perhaps the greatest honor from that hot July day.One of the couple's children, an 8-year-old boy, had a trophy made for Harrison. Engraved were the words "Thanks for Saving My Mom."The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation began honoring civilians four years ago, some for acts of valor and some for acts of selflessness in their communities."Here are the men who have received the highest honor in the nation, and they want to look at their civilian counterparts, if you will -- people who have gone above and beyond what is expected of them," said Kelly Dieter, a spokeswoman for the foundation.Chris Vaughn, 817-390-7547More information
The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation recognizes 20 finalists for the Citizen Service Before Self Honors, including 10 people for performing a single act of extraordinary heroism and another 10 for their willingness to sacrifice for others through a prolonged series of selfless acts.
To see the finalists go to www.citizenservicebeforeselfhonors.org
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