CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
A local firefighter, police lieutenant and assistant chief for the Nueces County Sheriff's Office were honored by the American Red Cross as Hometown Heroes.
The three men were given awards at a special breakfast Tuesday morning, hosted by the Red Cross at the Solomon P. Ortiz Center.
Corpus Christi firefighter John Keller was able to swim out into the bay, more than 450-yards offshore, to save a man in distress; Corpus Christi Police Lieutenant Brian Hill saved the life of a man whose car drove off a cliff and burst into flames; and Nueces County Sheriff's Office Assistant Chief Peter Peralta lost his leg to diabetes last year, but had the determination to return to work at full-duty status.
"I was honored to be able to be able to serve the community as I did," Peralta said, "and I thank everyone."
"It's pretty amazing," Keller said. "The day I got in the water to assist that guy, I didn't think I'd be here today."
"After 33 years, I really appreciate the people recognizing me and the police department for the hard work we do for the community," Hill said.
During the breakfast, the Red Cross also presented awards to local people and businesses who became heroes by either contributing or raising at least $1,000 to support disaster-relief efforts in the Coastal Bend.
