Marine awarded for saving child caught in rip current in 2019

A 2d Marine Division Marine has received the highest non-combat honor for saving a 10-year-old child at the Surf City Beach in May of 2019.

Sergeant Danny P. McDonald, a scout sniper currently serving with 2d Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (2/6), received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal during a ceremony aboard Camp Lejeune on Wednesday.

McDonald, a Corporal at the time, was enjoying a day at the beach on May 4, 2019, when officials say he heard a "frantic cry for help" from a boy caught in a rip current and struggling to stay afloat. The boy had been carried approximately 300 feet out from the shoreline, and McDonald swam out to his aid "with complete disregard for his own personal safety," officials say.