[aircraft whirring]
[faint radio chatter]
[soft ambient music]
[alarm beeping]
- Originally, I was born in the Dominican Republic.
Came to live in the United States when I was young.
Lived in New York for a few years.
I wanted to be a police officer in New York.
That was kind of my dream.
[soft music]
And then 9/11 happened
[people chattering]
and I felt my calling.
[siren blaring] [people chattering]
I couldn't believe it at first.
This country had given my mother
that came here as an immigrant everything,
so I felt very compelled to serve.
I get to go out there, and fight for this country,
and give back for what they had given my family.
It's perfect.
[determined electronic music]
The motto for the Rescue Swimmers is "so others may live".
To know that you could one day be somebody's savior,
that's what pulls us in.
- Good morning, gentlemen.
Today, we've got the five four meter swim slash buddy tow,
500 meter swim immediately followed by 400 meter buddy tow
in 27 minutes or less.
[water splashing]
- We are out there to make sure
that we bring our Sailors back home safe.
They are the backbone.
We are a vessel to make sure that they make it back.
It just creates a bond.
It's hard to explain.
The AW, the Aircrewman community is very small.
In one way or another, we know each other.
We know that if I train you,
there's a possibility later on,
I have to put my life in your hands.
[aircraft whirring]
If you have the ability to save somebody's life,
that means that person is able to have a family,
and that mother and father
are not gonna lose their son or daughter.
This person is alive
because of the training that you have received.
And all the time that other instructors
have put into you,
was worth it.
You have paid that forward.
It puts it in perspective,
that everything that we do,
one day, is gonna be somebody's last chance to live.
[helicopter whirring] [determined electronic music]
I grew up without a dad.
My father passed away before I was born.
I have seven beautiful kids.
Some people might think it's chaos.
We would never have it any other way.
My wife is a Personnel Specialist for the Navy.
We always have people comment,
like, I don't know how you do it.
I don't know how you are able to have seven kids
and get it all done.
I was like, as soon as you get to know my wife,
you'll realize that with her by my side,
nothing is impossible.
We try to teach them
that there are so many crazy things in the world
that the only way that you could fight that
is by being a caring person.
If you are able to teach young kids to care,
everything falls into place.
I hope that that translates to my kids
knowing what caring really means.
I hope that they see that I will put my life on the line
to make sure that somebody else makes it.
You could be there for somebody else,
even if you don't know them.
[soft orchestral music]
My name is Esmelin Villar
and I'm a Naval Aircrewman in the U.S. Navy.