A Ride Home
By SGW Karlin Bailey

Deer season of 2003 was no different than any other for Game Warden Karlin Bailey. Busy with answering calls, patrolling for any violation that would come about, until the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Bailey had observed some ATV's at a small gas station about eight miles south of Sallisaw in the Kerr Lake area around midday. As they were gassing up, Bailey noticed the hunter orange and other gear associated with hunting. Not all subjects had orange and other violations appeared probable. He returned to the area a short time later to locate the subjects, but while passing the store he noticed a Lake Patrol unit with a patrol boat in tow talking with another OHP unit. Not to uncommon except that it's a Lake Patrolman from a different area and not the usual time of year we see them with their boats.

Bailey pulled in and met Lake Patrolman Mike Sherman, who said, "We've got a man in the water!" As any Game Warden, Bailey didn't have to be asked. He followed Sherman to the ramp and jumped in the boat. Sherman informed him that the man had apparently been in the water for quite some time and being 60 years old, the situation was dim. With night growing near, time was not a friend. They didn't know where exactly to look, was the man wearing his life jacket, was he in good enough health to survive this long? These were the questions they were asking themselves.

They located the overturned craft along with debris along the riprap of a jetty about a 1 /4 mile out of Lock 15. Bailey could see the parking area at the dam where several vehicles had started to gather. Their headlights shown from top of the earthen structure as a dim hope of finding a lost son. Bailey glanced at his watch. 5:45. Official sunset was 5:05. He continued to look hard off the port side at the wreckage, hoping.

Sherman said to Bailey, "this is going to be a recovery, not a rescue." Bailey turned to address Sherman but looked beyond in him off the starboard and saw a head bobbing between the wakes about 50 yards out. "There he is, Mike!" As they approached him Bailey leaned over to grab an ice cold hand. The two officers worked diligently to land the hypothermic fishermen. Pushing the scales at around 260, the gentleman was quite a catch to haul in. After several attempts they managed fill their tag.

They quickly covered him with their coats and Sherman sped the boat back to the dock. Bailey, using his body to shield the wind, he talked Mr. White about setting around the wood stove someday, drinking hot coffee together, while reflecting back on this day.
As they docked their vessel at Applegate Cove, they were met by EMS where White was transported to Sallisaw ER. Later the two officers caught up where the Doctor advised them that White's body temperature was 84 degrees and another 10 minutes he would have been dead. The water temperature was in the 50's. He had been in the water for 5 1 /2 hours. He was wearing a life jacket.

This wasn't Bailey's first water rescue. While stationed in Johnston County, he conducted different rescues along the Blue River on Department lands. Trout fishermen and campers would be caught up in the rising waters from local rains.

In 1997, Bailey rescued a woman from her car when a flooded creek washed it off the road. He was awarded the Departments "Medal of Valor" for his efforts that cold February night.
He visited with White the next day in the hospital where he learned that White had been a boat operator for a seal team in Vietnam. When he would pickup a seal, he would say, "how 'bout a ride home, buddy?" Bailey was wearing a camouflage jacket and bonnie hat when he leaned over the side of the boat to grab White's hand. White said, "when I seen you, it reminded me of Vietnam, and I knew I had my ride home."