Pastor Kevin Baker knows what it means to save lives.
In 1997, while serving as a rescue swimmer in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS John C. Stennis, he executed a daring rescue of three Canadian sailors, an act of heroism that earned him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
But the greatest rescue came later—when he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.
Trading ocean waves for the currents of ministry, Pastor Kevin dove headfirst into a new mission: rescuing souls. For the past 25 years, he and his wife, Fawn, have faithfully led a vibrant and growing congregation in Starke, Florida—just an hour outside of Jacksonville.
Join us this Sunday to hear his story!
More Info about Pastor Baker’s heroic actions:
STENNIS CREW SAVES BOATERS
By Daily Press
The waves were almost 30 feet high, the water was freezing and three boaters floated aimlessly in the Atlantic in a bright orange raft, desperately needing to be rescued.
The USS John C. Stennis was the closest source of help.
On Thursday morning, officers aboard the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier – which is doing training exercises off Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., as it heads to Nova Scotia -saved the stranded boaters’ lives in a dramatic effort.
“This what we get paid for. When the call came in, we were all ready,” said Kevin L. Baker, petty officer 3rd class. Baker was the rescue swimmer sent down on a 60-feet hoist to pluck the boaters off a 6-by-6 raft that was more than 100 miles from shore.
After the Coast Guard alerted the ship at about 10:30 a.m., the carrier dispatched a Seahawk helicopter and a crew of five. It took the helicopter an hour to reach the raft, which was 140 miles east of the ship.
Once there, the Seahawk hovered above while Baker was lowered into the turbulent 50- to 60-degree water.
“I swam to the raft and asked if they were OK. They said they were cold, and I told them I was going to get them out of there,” said Baker, part of Helicopter Squadron 5, which is affiliated with Airwing 7. “They were suffering from trauma. I told them everything would be OK.”
None of the boaters, all from New Brunswick, Canada, knew how to swim. They ended up on the raft after their sailboat lost its sails and mast and then sank at about 6 a.m. Thursday. At least once, as they rode the rough waves, the raft flipped over, plunging them into the ocean and forcing them to claw their way back on.
Baker, sensing their fear and shock, quickly grabbed the boaters one by one and swam them back to the hoist.
“The waves were so bad that they were washing over us,” he said. “The swells were just ungodly.”
He strapped each to the hoist and accompanied them on the separate climbs to the helicopter. The maneuvers took about a half hour, he said.
“I knew they were cold,” he said. “I didn’t want them to fall out.”
Before leaving the water for the last time, Baker sank the raft so no one would think someone needed to be rescued.
Back on the helicopter, Baker got a reception like none he’s ever had.
“They were just so happy to be out of the water,” he said. “They were shaking my hand. They just kept looking at me and smiling. They kept looking up at heaven. They were holding hands. It was a heartwarming thing. It made me feel good.”
To Baker, the rescue was thrilling but all in a day’s work.
“I did what I could do. I did what I was taught,” he said.
The boaters, said to be emotionally and physically exhausted, were taken back to the Stennis, and are being treated in the ship’s hospital for exposure and hypothermia. None was seriously injured.
“They were very lucky,” Baker said.
It was the second rescue the carrier has recently been involved in. Last month, its staff helped pick two boaters from a disabled sailboat off Portsmouth. Although search and rescues are not the Stennis’ primary mission, its crew is trained in such operations. There are 3,588 aboard the carrier. The carrier will return to Norfolk June 17.
Originally Published: June 6, 1997 at 12:00 AM EDT
