AST1 Eric Biehn

Eric Biehn remembers the rescue as if it were yesterday. A father and his two children, fishing from a jetty near Coos Bay, Ore., became stranded by the rising tide. Heavy surf made a ground rescue impossible. It was up to Biehn to save them.

"It's the only case I've ever ... had involving kids, and it sticks with me," Biehn said. The children and their dad have Biehn to thank for their lives, as do numerous fishermen, boaters and swimmers from the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes.

Biehn runs his air station's survival shop gear room, serves as his unit's health promotion coordinator and volunteers as a swim coach and fitness trainer for fellow service members.

His career goals include making master chief so he can broaden his leadership skills.