Alaskan kayaker tells stranger whose life he saved "Nobody dies on my birthday," is an American hero
If you happen across an Alaskan man named Obadiah Jenkins, buy that dude a drink. He's an American hero.
On Saturday, Jenkins was celebrating his 33rd birthday at the Six-Mile Creek Whitewater and Bluegrass Festival in Hope, Alaska, when he bravely thrust himself into choppy waters to save a stranger, Daniel Hartung. The 64-year-old literally had gotten in over his head and after crashing his kayak found himself pinned against some rocks. Several people attempted to pull him out of the water with a rope, but it wasn't working.
"I kept trying and trying and after a while it just became apparent to me that it was not going, that I was not going to get myself out of this," Hartung told ABC News. "It was very calming. Everything whited out and I blacked out. . . . No fear, no other thoughts."
But in stepped Obadiah Jenkins to the rescue.
"I just knew at that point there was no way I could let this man die," Jenkins said. "If I had one percent chance of saving his life, I was gonna try it."
After pulling Hartung ashore and seeing him open his eyes for the first time, Jenkins said, "Nobody dies on my birthday." What a legend. Check out ABC News' piece, which contains incredible footage of the harrowing ordeal:
"This guy is a true hero," Hartung said. Damn straight.