Airman recounts rescue of children

I was about 20 minutes into my surfing session when I looked around and I heard two girls yelling for help. I looked about 100 yards away and all I could see was two young girls coming in and out of the water gasping for air and stuck in a riptide. Senior Airman Juan Carlos Elias Rascon, Space Launch Delta 30 Security Forces Squadron visitor control center technician, aided two children who were caught in a riptide at Pismo Beach, Calif., April 17, 2021. Elias Rascon’s training as a first responder kicked in when he heard the cries of help coming from the children. I started paddling towards the girls. Once I arrived to the spot where the girls were, I could see the fear in their eyes. They must have been 8 or 10 years old. I assured them they will be ok. I couldn’t put both girls on my surf board so I waited for another civilian surfer to come by and to place the second girl on their board. Once both girls were secured, we paddled to shore as fast as we could. Once we got to the shore, we made sure the girls were okay, they went to their family and we went back to the water.