| Name: | John Strocchia |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Chicago Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Engineer |
| Type of Duty: | Water rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 2009 |
| Incident City: | Chicago |
| Year of Incident: | 2007 |
| Incident Location Type: | Water/Waterfront |
| Incident Attribute: |
Engineer John Strocchia of the Chicago Fire Department’s Air & Sea Rescue Unit was awarded the Medal of Valor for his efforts to rescue a drowning victim from Lake Michigan near Chicago, Illinois on October 24, 2007.
At 9 P.M., the Chicago Fire Department received a dispatch about a 35-foot sailboat that had crashed into a concrete breakwater in Lake Michigan. There were 40 mile per hour winds and twelve foot swells. C.F.D. Helicoopter 682 arrived on the scene. There were four people in the sailboat and one member of the crew fell overboard. Engineer Strocchia, the lead diver, jumped 20 feet from the helicopter into the choppy waters. Because of the high winds, the helicopter was not able to lower its operating hoist. As a result, Stocchia grabbed the victim in his arms and swam him to safety. He had to swim for over 20 minutes to reach shore.
Citation:
16th Annual Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Firefighter Medal of Honor Awards Ceremony, May 14, 2009 (video).