John Spillane is a highly trained Air National Guard pararescue jumper who ditches from Dave Ruvola’s doomed helicopter following an aborted rescue attempt. Despite severe internal and external injuries from his jump into the ocean, he manages to swim hours to rejoin his colleagues and is finally rescued by the Tamaroa.
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John Spillane Character Timeline in The Perfect Storm
The timeline below shows where the character John Spillane appears in The Perfect Storm. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Into the Abyss
...midair—must intervene. Pilot Dave Ruvola, copilot Buschor, flight engineer Jim Mioli, and pararescue jumpers John Spillane and Rick Smith prepare for the attempt. Pararescue jumpers (PJs) train for more than 18...
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Hearing this, John Spillane realizes he might be facing his own death. As a rescue jumper, he understands just...
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...out, so Ruvola yells at his crew to bail out. Ruvola’s copilot, Buschor, Smith and Spillane work up their nerves and jump into the ocean; Mioli initially decides to take his...
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John Spillane grew up in New York City and joined the Air Force at 17, training as...
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When Spillane reaches the life raft pushed out by Mioli and clings to its side, memories start...
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...swim. They catch the safety net, but a wave yanks it out of their hands. Spillane catches it on a second attempt, sensing this is his last chance, and is finally...
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The Dreams of the Dead
By the morning of November 1st, conditions are finally beginning to calm down, and John Spillane is evacuated by helicopter for an emergency blood transfusion. The search for Rick Smith continues....
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