Rear Adm. Peter Brown, Commander of Coast Guard District Seven, recognized Mrs. Deleah Pickler, a registered nurse at Trident Medical Center, Thursday, June 21, 2018, at Coast Guard Sector Charleston for her heroic actions. On June 2, Pickler located and provided life-saving aid to a missing child in her neighborhood until emergency medical service personnel arrived.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Coast Guard recognized Deleah Pickler Thursday at Coast Guard Sector Charleston for her heroic actions when she located and provided life-saving aid to a missing child.
On June 2, 2018, Pickler helped search for a missing 3-year-old child in her neighborhood on Joint Base Charleston. After searching for the child for 15 minutes, Pickler located the missing child inside of a vehicle. The child managed to climb into the unlocked vehicle during a game of hide-and-seek. Pickler, a registered nurse, called 911 and rendered aid to the child, who was showing severe signs of heat exhaustion, until EMS personnel arrived.
Rear Adm. Peter Brown, Commander of Coast Guard District Seven based in Miami, Florida, recognized Pickler for her swift response and heroic actions.
"Her response that day is a testament to her vigilance and her willingness to engage when a situation required her help," said Brown. "She had the specialized skills needed to ensure the child was medically OK. It was her will to get involved that made the difference and saved the child's life and that's a testament, not just to her, but also to the whole Coast Guard family."
Pickler is an operating room nurse at Trident Medical Center in North Charleston, South Carolina, and encourages parents to lock their vehicles and develop a neighborhood outreach program such as a neighborhood social media page.
"I was in the right place at the right time," said Pickler. "I'm happy I had the skill set and knew how to respond."
Pickler is the spouse of Senior Chief Justin Pickler, Officer in Charge of Coast Guard Station Georgetown.
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