The rescue of a duck hunter

In the Jan. 20 issue of the Herald, we reported that a man and his dog were rescued after they were stranded on the marsh south of Bay Park in East Rockaway. But there's more to the story: After hearing the fire call that the man needed help, James Monaco, 21, a volunteer firefighter with the East Rockaway Fire Department, drove on his own to Bay Park to see what was going on. He located the man and realized that the water was far too shallow for the police rescue boat to be able to get to him. Monaco got his own boat, reached the man and the dog, and helped them onto his boat, driving them back to dry land. Monaco is pictured at left being congratulated by Nassau County police officers and other rescue workers.