On Memorial Day, a local veteran hanging on the river with his friends just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Joel Esch and Jason Hoover, two fishermen who were out on the Susquehanna River on Memorial Day, got the scare of a lifetime when bad weather and rough waters caused their boat to sink.

They thought they were toast, but then someone heard them.

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The boat began to take on water and an inconvenience quickly transformed into a life-or-death scenario thanks to the current.

Thank God that US Army veteran Mark Lattanzi was nearby.

'I thought we were pretty much done because that current is pretty wicked. And I didn't think anybody was around at first until I saw those people on that pontoon. Thank God for them, I'll tell you what,' Esch said ...

Fishing poles, tackle boxes and the boat were destroyed, but the two men walked away unharmed.

'You know, both of our lives were spared. That's what counts,' Hoover said.

Lattanzi and his friends piloted their boat close by and without hesitating dove into the water to help the stranded fishermen who very well could have drowned in the river.

'Our family is based on service,' said Mark Lattanzi, who is also an Army veteran. 'I'm just glad I was there to help them. And it feels good to know that I, you know, possibly saved their life.'

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