‘True heroes’: Kenosha deputies awarded Carnegie Medal for heroic Lake Michigan rescue

On Aug. 27, 2023, Deputy Christopher Bischoff and Kelsey Schwuchow were spending their day off with their families near Lake Michigan when they spotted two children struggling in the water. The children’s mother attempted to rescue them but couldn’t reach them.

After seeing the struggle, the deputies jumped in, swimming 60 yards to the family in an effort to bring them safely to shore.

Now, they have been honored with an award that recognizes their bravery on a national level.

“You don’t really think about it, you just do it because that’s what we’ve been trained to do,” Bischoff said. “There wasn’t a second thought. We were gonna do what we could to help those girls.”

This year, there have been over 50 drownings in Lake Michigan, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.

“Bischoff attempted to swim toward shore, but he had difficulty swimming with a panicked girl, as you can imagine,” Kenosha County Sheriff Zoerner said. “He tried to submerge while holding the girl with her head above water, intermittently resurfacing himself, to try to get air for himself.”

Both Deputy Bischoff and Deputy Schwuchow said they are honored by the recognition and are glad the family is safe.

“It’s a tremendous feeling, honestly, it’s fantastic. So it’s a huge honor to be recognized by that foundation for the things that we did that day,” Bischoff said.

Thanks to the courage of these deputies, a family is alive today, and the deputies have a national honor to show for their bravery.