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Texas Man Who Was A Retired Marine Died After Saving Teen Who Broke The Law

By Dee Sharp
Published on: 15:34 PST, Jun 9, 2016

On Wednesday, June 8, Rodney Buentello, a retired Marine who was also a high school employee in Texas, died after saving two teens when one of them fell into the Medina River while trying to walk across the dam. This happened in the city of Bandera where there is currently a city ordinance in place which prohibits anyone from walking across the dam. A teen boy jumped in to save the girl but both of them were caught in an undertow. The Bandera Marshal’s Office Facebook page posted that a veteran had died while trying to save the teens. At that time his name was not known.

https://www.facebook.com/banderamarshal/posts/976282759155088

Marshal Dietrich, who posted the information on the Facebook page, said that the Marine was a visitor from San Antonio and was a Marine Corps veteran and two-time Purple Heart recipient. Dietrich also posted that the teen would be charged for violating the ordinance. My San Antonio (MySA) reported about the incident in which the retired Marine gave his life to save the two teens. The retired Marine served one tour in Afghanistan and three tours in Iraq, and graduated in 1992 from John Jay High School in San Antonio, where he also was a staff member.

The Marine Corp veteran was visiting Bandera City Park on Wednesday with his family when the teen girl tried crossing the dam, and she was swept into the river. When the boy who jumped in to save her was also swept away, the retired Marine jumped into action. Buentello did manage to help both teens to safety, but before he could be rescued himself, the Marine was dragged under and died by drowning. The Facebook post by Dietrich honored Buentello with the words “Greater love hath no man, than to lay down his life for another.” Dietrich also included “Semper Fidelis” as a closing salutation on the post.

Just a week before Wednesday’s tragedy, floods caused the Medina River to swell over the dam, and as of today it remains at 100 percent according to MySA. The city of Bandera had deemed the area near the dam “hazardous” in the city ordinance and said that it was “closed to all swimming, wading, or boating.” The ordinance and signs posted in the area said that violators would be fined $25 to $250, according to Sec. 1.09.043. The Bandera Marshal’s Office is discussing having a memorial in the retired Marine’s honor at the site where he displayed his final act of heroism. A vigil was scheduled to be held at John Jay High School tonight at 8 p.m.

https://www.facebook.com/banderamarshal/posts/976676392449058

Friends of the Buentello family have started a Go Fund Me page to help the family with funeral costs. One of those friends, Pete Pruneda III, told Fox 29 San Antonio that he wasn’t surprised by the heroic actions of the retired Marine.

“I wasn’t surprised by his heroic action to jump in and take action, that is what he was trained to do, he was trained to save lives, he saved countless lives in the military and I think it was his calling to be at that moment in time to save a life and tragically giving up his own life in the process.”

John Jay High School Principal Robert Harris echoed the words of Pruneda as well.

“He lived his life as a hero and everything he did yesterday was heroic, in every sense of the word.”

Buentello leaves behind his wife and three children.

[Photo By Glynnis Jones/Shutterstock]

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