A Bulloch County sheriff's deputy has been awarded the Lifesaving Medal for his role in the rescue of two kayakers on the Ogeechee River earlier this month.

It started at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 14, when patrol deputies were notified that a kayak with two people in it had capsized, Sheriff Lynn Anderson said in a news release issued Monday.

The boaters were hanging onto a log in the swift current and were in danger of drowning.

Shortly after arriving on the scene, Sgt. Tracy Miller, Cpl. Travis Tuenge, and Deputy Randall Norman of the Sheriff's Targeted Enforcement Patrol, or STEP, began yelling for the boaters and got a general idea of their location by their screams. Miller then obtained the help of an area resident, Tommy Pope, who allowed his boat to be used in the search for the kayakers, Anderson said.

Miller and Pope found the boaters, a man and a woman, hanging onto the log in the current and were able to drag both into the boat. Miller and Pope then found a second boat, which had been traveling with the rescued couple, and towed that boat back to the landing near River Retreat Road, Anderson said.

The four boaters, all from Guyton, were not injured in the incident, the sheriff said.

Anderson thanked Pope for his willingness to help deputies in rescuing the boaters and announced the awarding of the Lifesaving Medal to Miller.

Miller is a 21-year veteran of the sheriff's office and serves as a shift sergeant.

"His conduct during his years of service has been exemplary," Anderson said of Miller, "and this is simply another example of his dedication to serving the citizens of Bulloch County."