Wilmington man honored for saving teen while recovering from surgery

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — Petty Officer 3rd Class Caleb Mabry was awarded the US Coast Guard Silver Lifesaving Medal Friday morning.

In June 2015 while stationed at Cape Charles in Virginia, Mabry swam into strong currents in an effort to save two drowning teens.  With the help of a good Samaritan one of the teenagers was saved while the other succumbed to drowning.

At the time of the event, the North Carolina native was between surgeries resulting from a snowboarding accident in February that year.  Mabry broke his tibia and fibula along with tearing three knee ligaments.  He says though he was on crutches that did not faze him.

“It’s surreal to be awarded something like this, to be recognized in the same category as General Patton,” Mabry said. “It’s a total honor to be awarded such a prestigious medal… I like to think that any good Coast Guards, or good Samaritan for that matter, would have done the same thing that day that I did.”

Caleb Mabry’s parents, Chuck and Emily Mabry, said their son has always had a helpful heart.

“Whenever he saw somebody that needed help, he pretty much was there to help that particular person,” Chuck Mabry said.

“We were very thankful that he was where he was supposed to be on that day,” Emily Mabry said.

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