Coast Guard officer honored with award in Houston

HOUSTON

Petty Officer Corey Maples had taken his wife to brunch when he saw the Coast Guard helicopter circle nearby. He ran to help a Coast Guard swimmer, who pulled one of the girls out of the water.

"I helped roll the girl over to get the water out of her lungs and the paramedics said we needed to get her to the box, so we picked her up and ran her to the ambulance," Petty Officer Maples said.

Tragically, the girl, her twin sister, and their father died. During a vigil for them, the family's home was burglarized. Petty Officer Maples helped raise $15,000 to help their pregnant mother with funeral expenses.

Today, he received the 2011 Houston Federal Employee of the Year award. Our own Christi Myers was master of ceremonies for the award presentation.