Retired Marine master sergeant dies while saving drowning teens

A man credited with saving the lives of two teens, at the cost of his own, was reportedly a Marine Corps veteran and a two-time Purple Heart recipient.

Retired Marine Master Sgt. Rodney Buentello was spending Wednesday afternoon with his family at Bandera City Park, about an hour northwest of San Antonio, when he witnessed the two teens in peril.

The Bandera Marshal’s office said that one of the teens was trying to walk across a park dam illegally when she was swept away by rushing water. The other teen went into the water to help her, but he got stuck as well.