COLUMBUS, Georgia -- The swift actions of Fort Benning soldier walking along the riverwalk in Columbus, Ga. with his wife on Saturday evening saved the lives of two boys.

A 9-year-old boy had fallen into the Chattahoochee River and his 15-year-old friend had jumped in to try to save him, but the fast current was too much for the boys, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.

When he heard one of the boys in the water yelling, 2nd Lt. James Lamoreaux jumped in the water to save them.

Officials told WTVM-TV that the boys would have likely drowned if it wasn't for Lamoreaux's actions.

"Once we got past a certain rock, there was nothing else beyond that, other than the steps that were about 200 meters away," Lamoreaux told WTVM. "I swam towards him, and thankfully, by the grace of God, I was able to get him and hold onto the rock."

The Columbus Fire Department’s swift water rescue team arrived just minutes after Lamoreaux pulled the boys to the shore.

Lamoreaux’s wife, Shannon, said she knew her husband would save the boy.

"I didn't think twice about my husband jumping in to do it,” she told WTVM. “It didn't surprise me. That's something he would do. He's my hero.”

Lamoreaux will be honored by the city of Columbus at a later date.