Michael Robidoux didn’t hesitate when he saw two children struggling in rough surf at a Florida beach.
The 23-year Air Force veteran was walking along the beach in the Florida panhandle on Saturday evening when he saw the two children struggling.
He jumped into the dangerous waters to try and save them but the current was too strong. As the retired military pilot swam out to them he got “caught in an undertow” as per WEAR TV.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened just after 6 p.m.
Two surfers eventually managed to rescue the children who are now safe and a search was carried out for Michael.
He was found and rescuers performed CPR, Michael was then airlifted to hospital where he later died.
His wife Laura says he never hesitated to jump in the water and save the struggling children.
‘He gave the ultimate sacrifice’
“We lost a great military hero, a local hero and he wouldn’t have it any other way, that was Mike always giving to other people and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for a child he didn’t know,” said close friend and neighbor Dan Wood, as per WEAR TV.
“He died like he lived, serving people and he saved a life to give his life to save someone else,” he added.
Michael, who was also an Eagle Scout and most recently a pilot for Delta Airlines, was also a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, as per Military News.
The brave hero was also an Eagle Scout and worked as a pilot for Delta Airlines, according to Fox News.
Delta pilot dies while trying to save children from drowningA man is dead after trying to rescue children struggling to swim off the coast of Florida.Pensacola News Journal reports Michael Robidoux of Navarre, Florida, died this past weekend while trying to rescue two kids caught in rough surf along Navarre Beach."There were multiple people caught in rip currents. I think it was a situation where anyone would have stepped up to try and save a child. Unfortunately, a man lost his life," said Danny Fureigh, chief of the Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Department, explaining that Robidoux had been caught in an undertow.The two children were eventually rescued by other good Samaritans. Robidoux was unconscious when he was pulled from the water and died at a local hospital.Michael Robidoux's wife Laura tells WEAR her husband was an Eagle Scout, retired military pilot and a 23-year veteran in the Air Force. Most recently, he was a pilot for Delta Airlines.She said he never hesitated when he saw the children struggling to stay above the surface."We lost a great military hero, a local hero and he wouldn't have it any other way, that was Mike, always giving to other people, and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for a child he didn't know," said Robidoux's friend and neighbor Dan Wood. "He died like he lived, serving people and he saved a life to give his life to save someone else."Multiple swimmers were in distress when firefighters responded over the weekend. Beach lifeguards had left their posts for the day when the incident happened.Fureigh stressed that everyone need to pay attention to the beach flag warning system. Robidoux drowned while the water was at yellow flag conditions, indicating moderate surf."It is the responsibility of everyone who goes out there to learn those flags and understand what they mean," Fureigh said."The Gulf of Mexico is not a swimming pool. Getting into the Gulf is challenging because there are rip currents and the depth varies. It isn't like a pool where you have a ledge to hold," Dave Greenwood, Pensacola Beach's chief public safety officer, said.Greenwood said many times, when someone drowns, it is because they are trying to help someone else. He urged people to call 911, rather than jump in themselves."Your emotional reaction is to go in, but you have to realize what your abilities are and whether or not you will help the situation. It is incredibly hard to think unemotionally when someone is yelling for help," said Greenwood.
