Detective Sgt. Bill Williams was simply enjoying the beach, strolling along the sands and looking for shells with his daughter, when emergency struck.

Williams, a Carbon County resident and member of the Allentown Police Department, was on vacation with his family on the Virginia side of Assateague Island National Seashore when he heard an exclamation from his wife.A lifeguard at the scene was attempting to pull a 59-year-old man out of the water.Williams quickly sprang into action."I hooked underneath his left shoulder, the lifeguard did the same for his right, and we pulled him up on dry sand," he said.Following that, the lifeguard and Williams checked for vitals, finding that the man was unresponsive - no breathing, no pulse. The pair began to conduct CPR, with Williams handling ventilation and the lifeguard doing compressions. Within five minutes, with no response, additional personnel arrived with a defibrillator.As the scene was playing out, Williams' wife, Marade, noted that no one would approach the victim's wife and daughter."His wife is hysterical, she's crying," he said. "My wife put her hand on her shoulder and they started to pray."The machine instructed the users to shock the victim, which they did. The defibrillator was used a second time, and CPR was resumed. Upon the tenth compression, the man started to respond. He was turned onto his side, placed in the recovery position, and his pulse grew stronger. Soon after, the victim was escorted to an ambulance, where he was able to speak. Williams said just at that moment his wife was reciting a plea for the man's life."Holy spirit, please, we need you to bring life back into this man," she said within seconds of the man's recovery.With a humble nature, Williams thanked the lifeguards for their outstanding work. "There was a flawless symmetry by everyone involved, toward the singular purpose of saving a life, a purpose we thankfully achieved," he says.Williams is submitting a letter to recommend that the lifeguards and emergency personnel involved in the effort be awarded the highest commendations.Williams has kept in touch with the man and his family, finding out that he had suffered a heart attack in the water. He had experienced a 100 percent blockage of his left anterior descending artery, a condition that is known throughout the medical community as the "widowmaker."Williams said that medical personnel indicated only about 5 percent of patients survive such a blockage. Following a double bypass surgery, the man is doing well.When asked about his thoughts during the panic, Williams mentions the recent problematic nature of police and citizen relations."Law enforcement has been receiving a lot of bad press, unfairly," he says. However, that does not change his drive to assist those in need."The public needs to recognize this about those who answer the call. … It's not something you do, but who you are," he says. "When someone needs help, you help."