Governor Mike Parson awarded Missouri Public Safety Medals to a total of 15 first responders and seven civilians for heroic and live-saving actions during 2020, including a Missouri Valley student.

Brody J. von Brethorst was nominated by Cedar County Sheriff’s Office for performing life-saving measures near Stockton Lake.

According to a press release, on September 5, 2020, a 17-year-old boy jumped from a 40-foot bluff into Stockton Lake, landed face first and was knocked unconscious, and disappeared into the water. First responders were alerted but with the victim sinking in about 12 feet of water, time was of the essence.

Officials say Von Brethorst saw what had happened and immediately set out to attempt a rescue. Von Brethorst raced to the location where he thought the man hit the water. Von Brethorst dove to the bottom of the lake, attempting to find the victim, but was hampered by low visibility. He surfaced and called for a pair of goggles from the gathering crowd. After someone threw him a pair of goggles, von Brethorst dove in a second time. This time he found the victim and pulled him to the surface. With help from others, von Brethorst got the lifeless victim into a boat that had joined the search. The victim had no pulse, but after about five minutes of performing CPR on the boat, several nurses, who were enjoying Labor Day weekend at the lake, managed to revive the victim.

The victim was transported on a helicopter to a hospital and put on a ventilator once he arrived at the hospital. Five days later, the victim was released from the hospital.

Officials say in a highly stressful emergency situation, von Brethorst had the ideal combination of inner calm, stamina, quick-thinking, and determination to save the young victim’s life.

Nominations are now open for heroic acts performed during 2021 and must be received by February 28, 2022. The nominating form is available on the Missouri Department of Public Safety website at https://dps.mo.gov/medal/.