Former U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Jason “Quinny” Quinn shares the harrowing story behind the Distinguished Flying Cross he earned after saving five people from a burning ship in the Bering Sea. With only one helicopter and 26 people reported in the water, Quinn was deployed near the vessel Galaxy as it rolled violently in 25-foot seas. Swimming close to massive propellers and through smoke and flames, he rescued survivor after survivor—fighting exhaustion, freezing water, and chaos along the way.
Quinn also takes us back to where it all started: growing up on a lake in Massachusetts, joining the Coast Guard, and training to become one of the elite. He describes the intense physical demands of rescue swimmer school and the mental toughness it takes to operate in the world’s most dangerous conditions.
This episode is packed with real-world rescue tactics, unforgettable training moments, and pulse-pounding close calls. It’s a gripping, high-stakes look inside the life-and-death world of Coast Guard search and rescue—told by one of the best to ever wear the fins.
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