Georgia man who drowned saving family in Pawleys Island honored with top award
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A former minor league baseball player and father who drowned while trying to save a family of five in Pawleys Island is being recognized for his heroism.
Anderson “Chase” Childers is one of 18 people who is being awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism, one of North America’s highest civilian honors.
The 38-year-old Dallas, Georgia, man was in Pawleys Island with his wife and three young children on July 13, 2025, when he heard cries for help. A group of people were caught in a longshore current and a strong rip current in the Atlantic Ocean, the nomination said.
Several swimmers were stranded in the crosscurrent about 150 feet from the beach and no lifeguards were present. Childers responded and ran into the ocean.
He swam out and, ultimately, reached a point beyond some people in the crosscurrent, the nomination read. Police concluded that Childers might have perceived another person was in danger.
Another man reacted to Childers’ urgency and also left the beach to swim out. When the man later reached Childers, he was unresponsive. The man attempted to tow Childers, but they separated in the rough surf, the nomination said.
All of the struggling swimmers safely returned to shore, along with the man who had reached Childers. Police, firefighters, and the Coast Guard then searched for Childers. He was later found after he drifted a considerable distance from where he was last seen. He had drowned.
Pawleys Island Police reported at the time that “Sadly, Mr. Childers was caught in the rip current, as well. He died trying to save others.”
Childers, who was a contractor, had signed with the Baltimore Orioles in 2009 and played at the rookie level for teams affiliated with the Orioles. He also served as a police officer in Cobb County, Georgia, according to his family’s GoFundMe account.
