While spending a summer day at East Beach in Westerly, Rhode Island, King alumnus Jayden Grayson ’25 and his brother, Jaxon Grayson ’27, saw swimmers battling dangerous rip currents offshore. Trusting their training as certified lifeguards, the brothers sprang into action, repeatedly diving into the surf to help bring struggling swimmers safely back to shore.

This May, two years later, the American Red Cross presented Jayden and Jaxon with its highest honor for trained lifesavers, the American Red Cross National Life Saving Award, during a ceremony held at King. Signed by the President of the United States, the award is reserved for individuals whose actions save or sustain a life in extraordinary circumstances.

Jocelyn Hillard, Red Cross Regional Communications Director, said the brothers embodied the spirit of the organization’s century-old lifesaving tradition.

“Your quick thinking and your willingness to help others makes all the difference,” Hillard said during the presentation. “You remind us that there are heroes all around us, and that a single moment of action can absolutely save lives.”

Speaking during the ceremony, Jayden described the conditions that day as unusually dangerous. 
“There were offshore hurricane waves reaching upwards of eight feet, powerful rip tides presented all across the shoreline, and for whatever reason, many people decided to continue going in the water,” Jayden said.

As the brothers walked the beach with friends, they saw swimmers overwhelmed by the current. 

“We immediately noticed how they were in distress, and we quickly sprang into action and began pulling people out,” Jaxon said. “We began pulling them out one at a time, hour after hour.”

What began as a single rescue quickly escalated. Just as they believed the danger had passed, they spotted a much larger emergency unfolding offshore.

“The conditions were most dangerous at the end of the day, though, when we thought the worst was behind us,” said Jaxon, adding that just as they were preparing to leave, they realized they were not in the clear. “We saw to my right 15 or more people were stuck in a massive rip tide.”

The brothers worked to pull as many swimmers as they could back toward shore, but two men farther offshore were in especially critical condition.

“By the time we got to them, they were submerging underneath the surface, and they were seconds away from death,” Jaxon recalled. 

Exhausted but determined, the brothers managed to keep the men afloat until rescue boats arrived. As a result of their efforts, every swimmer survived.

“Luckily, this day had a happy ending,” Jaxon said. “Although exhausted and a little shaken up, everyone went home to their families that evening, but now with a story to tell.”

The Graysons credited Hani Kinani for their success that day. Through his New England Aquatic Training (NEAT), Kinani taught and guided the siblings through the lifeguard training and certification process that ultimately prepared them for the fateful day in Rhode Island.  

“If it weren’t for him, we would not be here receiving this award today,” said Jayden. “Because of him, we continue our public service by working as lifeguards, facilitating CPR classes, and now I volunteer as an EMT.”

Their mother, Jennifer Hada Grayson, recalled the concern she felt while watching her young sons put themselves in danger to help complete strangers. At the time, Jaxon was just 15 and a newly certified lifeguard, while Jayden was 17 with only a few years of experience.

“To me, they were like little kids,” she said. “No one else is going out to save them, and they’re saving other people!”

The recognition from the Red Cross celebrates a defining moment of bravery, but for the Grayson brothers, it also reinforced the importance of training and readiness. They continue to stay in touch with one of the men they saved that day.