Sheriff's Deputy Philip Illardi and state Trooper Aaron Eastwood didn't have a moment to think when they got to the Caughdenoy Dam in 2017. A boat was stuck in a floodgate, and an elderly man and a paraplegic man were in the boat, that was taking on water.

"We tried to come up with a way that they could bail the water out of the boat; that didn't work," Eastwood said. "We then tried to give them some sort of tether, a line of rope they could use where we could perhaps pull them in from the back side of the dam; that didn't work."

Thankfully, the third time was the charm. Trooper Eastwood jumped into the boat, Deputy Illardi climbed through the floodgate and the pair got the boat free. 

"Myself, the paraplegic and the elderly gentleman rowed the boat, actually laid down and rowed the boat over the dam," Eastwood said.

For their courage in May of 2017, the pair recieved one of the state's highest civilian honors, the State Senate Liberty Award.

"I was floored when they said they were going to recognize me for it," Eastwood said. "I had all but forgotten it had happened."

Both Eastwood and Illardi say that risking their lives for others is something they signed up for. With that in mind, they also say the award is an honor they won't forget.