HEROIC ACT HAPPENED A YEAR AGO

On the cemetery grounds outside the white-framed St. James United Church of Christ in Tilsit stands a memorial to a hero, designed and assembled by those who loved him most -- his family.

The hero's name: Matthew Schlimme of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Schlimme, who grew up near Burfordville where his close-knit family still lives, was raised in the little church and married there four years ago. It was there that his funeral service was held last February and there, in the shadow of its steeple, that he is buried.

He would have been 25 years old Tuesday.

One year ago today, Schlimme, who was just two weeks away from leaving the service and returning to civilian life in Cape Girardeau County, responded to a 1-a.m. distress call as one of four crewmembers serving aboard a Coast Guard motor lifeboat stationed near La Push, Wash.

Only one of the four crewmen would ever come back.

The distress call came from a disabled sailing vessel, the Gale Runner, that was taking on water and in danger of sinking. Seas up to 25 feet, combined with high winds and driving rain, created a situation of imminent danger for the two people aboard the Gale Runner.

Schlimme and the rest of crew attempted to reach the stricken sailboat, but the surf and treacherous seas hit their craft, causing the lifeboat to roll several times.

Two of the crewmembers, Petty Officer David Bosley and Seaman Clinton Miniken, were washed overboard. A third crewmember, Seaman Apprentice Benjamin Wingo, struggled to operate the boat.

Schlimme took over the controls and instructed Wingo to buckle himself back in. Shortly thereafter another wave capsized the boat and Schlimme was lost overboard.

Because of Schlimme's insistence that Wingo buckle himself back up, the 19-year-old Wingo survived with just minor injuries, including a broken nose and cuts to the face.

Schlimme was awarded posthumously the Coast Guard Medal, one of the highest commendations the Guard gives to guardsmen during peacetime.

The eligibility requirements for the medal state that it is given only to individuals who "have performed a voluntary act of heroism in the face of great danger to themselves and such as to stand out distinctly above normal expectations."

His mother, Haroletta Schlimme, said Wednesday that even after a year not a day goes by that she doesn't think of him and his heroic deeds.

"The kids around here need to know that someone just like them can be a hero," she said. "They need a role model. He's not a high-priced basketball player; he was just someone who went out and saved someone else's life."

The monument in Tilsit was planned almost from the day of Schlimme's funeral. His father, Larry, designed and built the base. His older brother Andrew designed the artwork and lettering and wrote the description of the accident that is inscribed on it. His mother secured the benches for it.

A second monument stands at the Coast Guard Station in La Push, dedicated to the sacrifice of the three men who gave their lives early one February morning. On the base of the monument are inscribed the words that were read at Matthew Schlimme's funeral and the words that are inscribed on the monument in Tilsit:

"These poor, plain men, dwellers upon the lonely shores, took their lives in their hands, and, at the most imminent risk, crossed the most tumultuous sea... , and all for what? That others might live to see home and friends."