According to the Coast Guard, Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen A. Cantu of Houston hoisted two men to safety from a capsized boat in Trinity Bay Thursday, then was back in the helicopter to rescue a man who was having chest pains aboard a boat 85 miles southeast of Galveston.
"In the moment none of it really registered, I was just falling on all the training I'd done through the qualification process," said Cantu. "It was just like every other hoist I'd done, expect once you get them in the cabin and you're looking face to face with the person, it just clicks, and you realize you're helping somebody."
In the first rescue, the Coast Guard sent out a Dolphin rescue helicopter and boat crew from Houston. They located two stranded men sitting on top of their overturned boat at around 8:10pm. Cantu hoisted the two men off the vessel. They were then taken to be seen by emergency medical personnel.
Then Friday morning, the Coast Guard received a call about a 26-year-old man experiencing chest pains, numbness in his limbs and low blood sugar. Cantu was again was called on to hoist the man off the ship, after which he was transferred to UTMB to be seen. At this time, we don't know the man's condition.
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