On January 13, 1982, an Air Florida jet struck a Washington bridge and plunged into the ice-covered Potomac River. A rescue helicopter dropped a line to the few survivors clinging to the wreckage in the freezing water. One man kept catching it and handing it to others he thought were worse off than himself. Five people were saved. When the helicopter came back for him, he was gone. For a long time no one knew his name. A Coast Guard investigation later identified him as Arland D. Williams Jr., and President Reagan awarded him the Gold Lifesaving Medal. He did not have to pass the line. He chose to, again and again.
