America's Biggest Heroes of the Year

Marietta, Georgia, police officer Nick St. Onge said he relied on his training to save the life of a young child. St. Onge received a call about an infant who was not breathing. When he arrived at the scene, he found the baby was having difficulty breathing and was turning blue. St. Onge gently gave the baby CPR until her breathing improved.

When middle school science teacher Jason Seaman encountered a school shooter in May, he reportedly threw a basketball at him and then tackled him. Seaman was shot three times and a 13-year-old student was shot seven times, but both survived. Seaman may have saved many lives. A GoFundMe page was set up for Seaman to pay his medical bills.

Coast Guard lieutenants Rachel Thomas and Mike Wu were off duty when they became part of an important rescue operation. The pair were climbing Mount Whitney in California when they saw three climbers fall more than 500 feet down a slope. Thomas and Wu helped stabilize the climbers, who suffered head injuries and broken bones in the fall, and called for help. The two were given commendation medals for their actions.

NASCAR driver Jesse Iwuji is no stranger to dangerous automobiles. So when he was driving home from a racetrack and noticed a car on the shoulder of the highway had a small fire underneath, he knew it could be a dangerous situation. Iwuji, who is also a Navy lieutenant, helped the family of four get out of the car and away from the fire. Just after everyone had gotten away, the flames spread quickly and completely engulfed the van.

Talk about taking the plunge. Shortly after tying the knot with his wife Cindy on Orange Beach, Alabama, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zac Edwards was approached by a woman who said there was a man in the ocean struggling to get to shore. Edwards jumped into the surf with a flotation device and tried to keep the man’s head above water. Because the current was so strong, both men needed help from a lifeguard to get to shore.