‘I know how it feels to lose someone...’ Deputy honored after rescuing twins
Muscogee County Sheriff’s deputy was honored as July’s First Friday Hero by Piedmont Columbus Regional for his role in rescuing 3-year-old twins pulled from the bottom of a swimming pool.
Jamicia Sweeney had taken her twins, Christopher Jr. and Ciana, to a friend’s swimming pool on May 16. When it was time to leave, she began packing up their supplies in her car. After turning her back for “like one second,” Sweeney couldn’t find the twins.
Then she saw them at the bottom of the pool. Sweeney grabbed the children and began screaming for someone to help as she began CPR.
Rookie Deputy Greg Countryman Jr. was off duty sitting in his patrol car on his driveway when he heard a call about an unconscious child at the bottom of a swimming pool. He left his house to answer the call, and three minutes later arrived at the scene to find Sweeney administering CPR to her children.
The situation’s urgency doubled: There were two children.
Countryman Jr. was overwhelmed when he first arrived. It reminded him of his cousin, 11-year-old Myla Morgan, who died when he was 13 years old from a seizure. Morgan was like a sister to Countryman Jr., he said tearfully during his speech at the First Friday Hero ceremony.
When he answered the call knowing that there was a child in danger, he promised himself he would not let anything happen to Christopher Jr. and Ciana if he could help it.
“I know how it feels to lose someone that’s a child,” Countryman Jr. said.
Countryman Jr. got his thoughts together quickly when he arrived and performed his job. He took over administering CPR on Christopher Jr. and prayed that God would allow him to save the twins.
Ciana regained consciousness first, Sweeney said. And after Countryman Jr.’s second set of CPR, Christopher Jr. also regained consciousness. The twins were taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional’s Pediatric Emergency Department for further evaluation.
As Christopher Jr. and Ciana were transported to the hospital Countryman Jr. worried about them, he said, and returning home not knowing for sure they would be okay was difficult.
Once home, Countryman Jr. spoke to his father, Sheriff Greg Countryman Sr., about what happened and his feelings on the incident. His father listened to him and continued to check on him through the night to make sure Countryman Jr.’s mental health was well.
Countryman Sr. is all too aware that things deputies see on the job can stick with them, and the emotions can be overwhelming. The sheriff’s office prioritizes mental health by contracting counselors and emphasizing the importance of having a support system, he said. Countryman Sr. was happy his son had the support he needed after this incident left him shaken.
When the sheriff spoke to his son that evening, Countryman Jr. expressed a desire to visit the hospital to check on the Sweeney family’s well-being. His father advised: Take a deep breath, then go follow up.
Countryman Jr.’s visit was comforting to the family during an emotional time, said the twin’s father Christopher Sweeney. Seeing the deputy come by their room two to three times to check up on them showed the kind of man he was, Christopher said.
Piedmont created the First Friday Hero program in 2016 to recognize first responders who go beyond the call of duty. Countryman Jr. received a certificate honoring him as a hero from Piedmont, and a copy of the poster with a photo of him and his story that will hang in hospital buildings.
U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop also presented Countryman Jr. with a Special Congressional Recognition certificate.
Chistopher Jr. and Ciana will receive free swimming lessons from the YMCA and were presented with life vests and a bag of goodies at the ceremony.
“One thing that I know about (Gregory), he has a lot of heart,” Countryman Sr. said. “He has this instinct about him where he doesn’t give up.”
This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 2:59 PM with the headline "‘I know how it feels to lose someone...’ Deputy honored after rescuing twins."
