Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Angels in the Valley:

‘The family hero’: Teen saves dad’s life

Palo Verde ROTC Cadet Karim Hussein

L.E. Baskow

Palo Verde ROTC cadet Karim Hussein practices rifle drills with other members at the high school on May 19, 2015. He saved his dad from drowning in a freak accident in March and was awarded the ROTC”s highest honor May 13, 2015.

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Palo Verde ROTC Cadet Karim Hussein

Palo Verde ROTC cadet Karim Hussein practices rifle drills with other members at the high school on Tuesday, May 19, 2015. He saved his dad from drowning in a freak accident in March and was awarded the ROTC Launch slideshow »

Karim Hussein had been asking to accompany his father on trips for his videography business for years.

In the past, Sam Hussein always said no. But while preparing for a recent trip to Southern California to film a wedding, he finally relented.

On March 14, 16-year-old Karim, then a Palo Verde junior ROTC cadet, and his father were filming the bride and groom near the shore of the Pacific Ocean when Karim saw a rogue wave out of the corner of his eye.

“I tried to pull (my dad) away, but I just wasn’t fast enough,” Karim said.

The wave washed both father and son off the rocks and into the sea. Karin swam back to shore and quickly recovered on the beach, then realized his father remained helpless in the water. So he dove back in.

“I got to him and realized that he was in complete shock,” Karim said. “His leg was floating in the water as if it were a fish.”

Sam Hussein had broken the bones in his leg in three places during the fall. He said he remembers seeing Karim swimming out toward him but can’t remember anything after that. With the help of the groom, Karim hauled his father back onto the rocks before paramedics took him to the hospital.

“Afterward, it hit me that in that split second, I could have lost my dad and my own life,” Karim said. “I saw my dad there drowning, and I didn’t even think, I just jumped back in the water.”

Three surgeries and as many months later, Sam Hussein remained in a wheelchair but was strong enough to place a Golden Valor Award, the JROTC’s highest accolade for bravery, around Karim’s neck.

The ceremony in the Palo Verde gym drew a small gathering of Karim’s Air Force JROTC classmates and school officials. JROTC instructor and retired Air Force captain Gordon Doughty said it was the first time he heard of a student in Nevada earning the award.

After college, Karim wants to join the military and work in medicine, possibly in orthopedics. He mostly deflected praise for his actions but gladly accepted handshakes and hugs from his friends.

“His name in Arabic means generous, and I see him being that every day,” said Shymaa Hussein, Karim’s mother. “He’s our hero. The family hero.”

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