Good Words, Good Deeds, Good News

Firefighter Saves Three Children Trapped Under A Boat

Firefighter Jason was spending time with his daughter at a Texas lake on July 4th when he noticed two other boats in the water, and people waving to him. When he swam over to them, he noticed a third boat, which was overturned, and the people yelling, “Our babies are under there!”

He swam under the boat and found two children, one responsive and one not, so he dragged them out and began CPR on the non-responsive child. He was then told there was an additional child, which he didn’t find. By then some other Good Samaritans had arrived and found the third child, unresponsive. Jason began CPR on him, and Emergency Services got them all to the hospital, where it’s reported that they have all recovered.

10-Year-Old California Girl Hailed a Hero for Saving Entire Family from House Fire

Ten-year-old Lizzie woke up when the power went out. Looking around, she saw that the house was on fire, and she started screaming, waking everyone up. Her brother Lucas also started screaming and helping get everyone out.

The fire department believes that the fire started on the porch and climbed up the power lines, catching the rest of the house quickly.

Lizzie’s mother went on to say that the fire destroyed nearly everything they owned. “Fourteen years, dude. Everything’s gone,” she said through tears. “All of the pictures, all of my kids’ school pictures, their baby pictures, their sonograms. My wedding pictures are gone. Just everything’s gone.”

All seven relatives — four adults and three children — escaped the home safely, but the house fire completely destroyed the residence and killed the family’s dogs and one cat.

Remains Of Pearl Harbor Sailor Finally Buried

Fireman 3rd Class Royle Luker was buried at the end of May in his hometown of Plainview, Arkansas, where he grew up before enlisting in June 1941.

Luker, who was the son of a World War I veteran, will be buried with full military honors at New Bethel Cemetery, and his remains are being returned home more than 84 years after his death, per Fox News. The outlet noted that modern forensic testing and DNA analysis confirmed his identity through living relatives.

Luker was aboard the USS West Virginia during the attack that killed 105 of its crew members on December 7, 1941. The vessel was hit by several torpedoes and sank at Ford Island, the Stripes article continued, citing a press release from the Navy.

According to the Fox article, Luker reportedly received several military honors for his sacrifice. Those included the Purple Heart and the Navy Presidential Unit Citation which recognizes extraordinary heroism.

The men in the battleships were trapped inside with live ammunition and the technology of the day had no provisions for their rescue. Rescue crews had to stand by helplessly while their shipmates perished.

Over the years, as technology has improved, soldiers interred as Unknown in Hawaii have been exhumed, identified, and returned home for proper burial.

Teacher Adopts Former Student

When Jackie was teaching at an elementary school a few years ago, she met eleven-year-old Jaden. During the year, she got to know him and learned that he was in foster care, but he wasn’t eligible for adoption until 2025.

She was determined to adopt him, and so she completed all the paperwork necessary to be ready when he could be adopted.

The little boy expressed his feelings over becoming part of the Coombe family by stating, “I got a mom!”

“While the adoption process may be challenging, the outcome is worth it. Whether it’s welcoming your first child or expanding your family, joy knows no bounds. Each day as a parent becomes brighter, and the future brims with promise with the addition of a child,” the All For Kids site reads.

Social Media Star Raises $680,000 For Woman

Once a week, Spencer from SB Mowing mows an overgrown yard for free and puts the video on social media. In June, he met Debbie, who had been through a series of misfortunes. Her husband died from cancer, after she was his caregiver for several months. She hired a contractor to trim some trees, giving him a $2,000 deposit, and he never showed up. Then her neighbor wrecked her car and didn't pay for it. Then she fell behind on her rent, and she went without food and medicine because she couldn't afford it, or food for her dog.

According to KAKE News in Wichita, an Uber driver who took Debbie home from the grocery store reached out to Spencer and explained the elderly woman’s situation.

Into this mess of misfortune and overgrown grass went Spencer, who listened to her story and, with his father’s help, proceeded to clean up her yard for free. After that, he started a GoFundMe for Debbie to help her get up-to-date on her bills. The money goes into a trust which has Debbie as the beneficiary. In addition, he took a chest of items she had packed to sell, gave it to Habitat for Humanity, and brought her back the money.

Editor’s Note: I saw this video on social media and was really touched by the kindness shown to Debbie and the generosity of the people who donated.