Everywhere in the world,
we can observe
and be touched
by acts of kindness.
People from all walks of
life, faiths, and cultures
extend themselves
beyond the call of duty
to help others
unconditionally.
Through their noble deeds,
humanity as a whole
is elevated.
To commend
virtuous actions and
encourage more people
to be inspired
by their examples,
Supreme Master
Ching Hai
has lovingly created
a series of awards,
including the Shining
World Leadership
Award, Shining World
Compassion Award,
Shining World Hero and
Heroine Awards, Shining
World Honesty Award,
Shining World Protection
Award, Shining World
Intelligence Award,
and Shining World
Inventor Award,
to recognize some
of the most exemplary,
generous, caring,
and courageous people
who walk amongst us.
Today we are pleased
to introduce exemplars
of true altruistic kindness
from the USA,
as we feature two
uplifting stories of humans
risking their own lives
to save animals.
I’m a firefighter/paramedic,
assigned to
the Los Angeles
Fire Department, our
Air Operations Section.
We are primarily
a service for, for humans.
But we’re not going
to turn away an animal.
In late January 2010,
Southern California, USA
was pummelled
with rainstorms
for several days,
causing the area’s rivers
to overflow.
During this time
a six-year-old
German Shepherd
was found trapped
on a small concrete ledge
in the middle of
the Los Angeles River
that flows through Vernon,
a city near Los Angeles.
At least 50 firefighters
arrived at the scene,
but none of the rescue
attempts were successful
until a special team
from the Los Angeles
Fire Department
Air Operations Section
was dispatched.
We had been experiencing
about three days
of heavy rains; this was
day four of heavy rains.
And we typically pre-deploy
resources around
the City of Los Angeles
for swift water rescues,
in the event somebody,
we’re expecting a human,
gets themselves
trapped in the channels.
We’d had a lull in the rain
so the water level
had dropped, which is
why he hadn’t just been
swept away. (Right)
The problem was
he couldn’t get out
and there was another
very serious (storm) cell
coming in right behind us.
We anticipated,
by the time
they put me down
to effect the rescue,
we probably only had
10, maybe 15 minutes
before a serious wall
of water was going to come.
That’s one of
the big reasons
for using the helicopter,
was our time
was diminishing rapidly.
Firefighter Joe St. Georges
volunteered to be
lowered from a helicopter
by a tether in an attempt
to rescue the canine.
The conditions
of the rescue were
highly challenging and
there was no guarantee
of safety or success.
The dog, he’d been
in the water, he’d
probably taken a ride
(down the river)
for a little bit.
He was lying down.
He looked like he was
really pretty wiped out.
One of the concerns I had
was I can’t really
take a lot of time,
one, because
we’ve got the water coming
and we know it;
two, he’s on the bank
of the channel, and
there is a high tension
power station
literally right there.
My pilot is flying
the helicopter fairly close,
and he told me
that at one point
he was actually under
some of the power wires.
My immediate concern is
the people
that I'm working with,
because we're in
the most critical position.
So I’ve got to
be able to do this quick.
Once I make contact,
I can't let the dog go
at that point.
The rescue was made
all the more difficult
because
the German Shepherd
bit down
on Joe St. Georges’ hand
as he was very scared.
However the courageous
firefighter was able
to hold on tightly
to the dog, and the pair
was safely airlifted out.
From the time
they started to put me down
to the time I ended up,
they put me on the bridge,
was probably about
two-and-a-half minutes.
It looked, and felt forever,
but it was actually
a fairly rapid rescue.
Nicknamed “Vernon”
after the city
where he was rescued,
the German Shepherd
was given
medical treatment
and later warmly
welcomed home by his
much-relieved caregiver.
For his
selfless dedication and
heroic efforts in saving
a fellow being in need,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
recently honored
Los Angeles
Fire Department
firefighter Joe St. Georges
with the Shining World
Hero Award.
I'm very proud to accept it.
Honestly though,
anybody that had been
there that day,
they would have done
the same thing.
This is what we do;
firefighters train
to do these things.
So it just happened to be
that it was my day.
But any one
of the 50 people
that were assigned
on the ground,
and any of the other crew
that was with me,
we all would have done it.
A warmhearted letter of
appreciation from Master
to Mr. St. Georges
accompanied
the beautiful Award plaque.
In addition,
Master’s #1 international
best selling books
“The Dogs in My Life,”
“The Birds in My Life”
and “The Noble Wilds,”
were given to him
as tokens of appreciation
for his inspiring gallantry.
Bravo, Los Angeles
Fire Department
rescue team
and Joe St. Georges
for your timely,
lifesaving efforts
that allowed Vernon
to be reunited
in love and happiness
with his human family.
When we return,
we’ll meet two men who
saved the life of a shark.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
the Shining World
Hero Award series
on Supreme Master
Television.
Today we’re recognizing
three extraordinary men
from the USA
who risked their lives to
rescue animals in danger.
On February 27, 2010,
when Scuba Works
dive shop owner
John Dickinson
and former
emergency veterinarian
Dr. Chip Garber
were diving off the coast
of Florida, USA,
they noticed
something unusual
on the ocean floor.
Chip and I
were diving together
on a wreck called
“The Princess Anne,”
which is located
just off of Palm Beach,
Florida (USA).
And when Chip and I
approached the wreck,
we saw a Grey Nurse Shark
that was up underneath
a portion of the wreck
and it just didn’t seem
to look right.
He seemed
to look discolored, like
he had lost a lot of weight.
And Chip went over
and just touched his tail
to see if he was alive
and when he did,
the shark swam away.
Upon approaching the shark,
Dr. Garber noticed that
what was troubling him
was a Frisbee-like
plastic ring
that had become lodged
around his head.
Being a former
emergency veterinarian
and knowing the risk
he was taking, Dr. Garber
decided to help the shark.
He was a Nurse Shark,
which are not known
for being real aggressive
sharks, for one.
And he was one
that I thought
I could get hold of
and be able to restrain
without getting hurt.
And he was definitely in
a weakened state from it.
So I wasn’t real concerned
about getting bit
or anything,
but it was a chance
where we could
do him some good by
getting that off definitely.
The brave, compassionate
Dr. Garber then
swam again toward
the distressed shark,
followed closely by his
friend John Dickinson,
who was carrying
an underwater camcorder
to record the event.
Once the shark got up
and started moving, he
wasn’t going all that fast
and you could tell
he was definitely
being affected by
having the Frisbee ring
around his head
because it was going
right across the gills,
where the water exits.
So what we did was
John was off to the side,
and he was
filming the shark because
he’s always taking pictures
of everything interesting
on our dives.
So as he was doing that,
I was on an underwater
scooter that I could
swim pretty fast with,
so I just caught up
with the shark
and I looked at him
and I figured
it didn’t look like
he would be too hard
to get the ring off of him.
So, while John was
filming him
to record a Frisbee
on a shark’s head like that,
I came up behind and
got hold of the ring itself
and then pulled him
in tight to me where
I could hold on to him
and then
peeled the Frisbee up off
of his head.
And then by that point
he’d struggled enough to
where he got away from me
and swam off.
And it looked like he was
swimming pretty well
when he headed out.
So definitely
getting that off of his gills
was a big, big help to him.
You could tell the effects
it had had on him
because it was starting
to cut into his gills and
also he was so wrinkled
from weight loss, because
he wasn’t eating well
with that on either.
Deeply moved by
Dr. Garber’s
unwavering valor
in saving the life of our
marine friend in need,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
honored him
and Mr. Dickinson
with the Shining World
Hero Award.
The two gentlemen
received lovely crystal
Award plaques along with
a framed letter from
Supreme Master Ching Hai.
Here’s an excerpt from
Supreme Master Ching Hai’s
loving words
of encouragement
to Dr. Garber
and Mr. Dickinson:
In this rescue you both
showed heroic courage,
truly admirable compassion
and wisdom,
and recording the plight
that marine life faces as
a result of human waste.
For your wonderful
life-preserving bravery
and selfless act
of compassion,
for assisting a being
so many other people fear,
and for acting in a way
that provides
such a fine example of
how to treat other species,
we hereby applaud and
celebrate the awesome
and heroic deeds
of Chip Garber
& John Dickinson.
With Great Honor, Love
and Blessings,
Supreme Master
Ching Hai
Okay, this is for you, first.
And this for you,
Mr. Dickinson (Thank you.)
You’re welcome.
(Thank you, thank you.)
You’re welcome.
The noble divers
were also given
Supreme Master Ching Hai’s
#1 international
best selling books,
“the Dogs in My Life,”
“The Birds in My Life”
and “The Noble Wilds,”
along with a selection
of her DVDs and CDs
and two custom-tailored
“Hero” jackets
in appreciation of
their praiseworthy deeds.
I looked it up online and
saw just how prestigious
the Award is, and
just the fine organization
that is doing a lot
to help the environment
and animals,
I felt very proud,
felt very honored
to be a recipient.
I would like to thank
Supreme Master
Ching Hai
for honoring us.
We saw a chance
to make a difference
and we did it.
Be Veg,
Go Green
2 Save the Planet!
Our admiring salute
goes to John Dickinson
and Dr. Chip Garber
for their courageous,
loving rescue efforts
in freeing the shark
from plastic debris.
As we take better care
of the oceans,
may all marine life
flourish in natural harmony
and balance.
Friendly viewers,
thank you for your presence
on this episode of
the Shining World
Hero Award series.
Coming up next is
Enlightening Entertainment,
after Noteworthy News.
May love always
encompass your life.