By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

DURING his brief visit to Andersen Air Force Base yesterday, Vice President Dick Cheney conferred awards on two airmen, honoring their heroism for saving a group of swimmers who almost drowned at Tarague Beach last month.
Cheney presented the Airman’s Award to Lt. Col. Christopher Greiman and the Exceptional Service Award to Tracy A. McVay for risking their lives in carrying out “a bold rescue effort” to save a group of swimmers struggling against a severe rip tide, crashing waves and razor sharp coral on Jan. 27.
Capt. Joel Stark, deputy chief of Andersen’s public affairs office, said the awards came as a surprise to Greiman and McVay. “We didn’t even know about the incident until the report was completed,” Stark said.
Arriving aboard Air Force 2, Cheney stopped over on Guam for an hour on his way to Australia to meet with that country’s Prime Minister, John Howard.
During the refueling stop, Cheney addressed a large gathering of troops stationed at Andersen and briefly met with Gov. Felix P. Camacho and Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo.