Medal of Merit, BSA

Scouting offers a lot to youth in today’s world. The lifelong memories of a rainy campout, the experience of leading peers, and skills for every day life. At the base of it all are first aid and CPR. These skills are invaluable and tie directly to the motto of “Be Prepared.” On occasion, a Scout must jump into action and use these invaluable skills to save a life.

The BSA has 5 Lifesaving or Meritorious Action awards: National Certificate of

Merit, Medal of Merit, Heroism Award, Honor Medal, and Honor Medal with Crossed Palms. All of these awards may be given to a youth or an adult. The National Certificate of Merit is given for an act of outstanding service to others. The Medal of Merit is for an act of service which “reflects an uncommon degree of concern for the well-being of others.”

The Heroism Award, Honor Medal, and Honor Medal with Crossed Palms are given for showing heroism and skill in saving, or attempting to save, a life. Each level represents greater risk to one’s self: no risk, considerable risk, and extreme risk.

Honor Medal with Crossed Palms, BSA

In 2010 more than 350 of these type of awards were given. Recently three separate events have been in the news.

Tyler from Troop 331 in Holmdel, NJ was awarded the Heroism award for rescuing two men in a river near the Grand Canyon. Tyler and his family were prepared with ropes and his skills learned in the Lifesaving Merit badge enabled him to use that tool properly during the rescue. Read more at the Holmdel Patch.

Cub Scout Lane Hardin from Peaster, TX helped perform CPR on his Great Grandmother until an ambulance could arrive. Lane’s keen knowledge of CPR helped him show his Grandmother the proper compression-breath counts. Story at the Weatherford Democrat.

In Missoula, MT two adults, Tony Higuera and Jay Skovlin, performed CPR on a heart attack victim at a Cub Day Camp. Having the proper leadership and emergency plan are key to a great event. Event leader David V. Grey and on-site nurse  Erin Ward Barney will be awarded a Council level award. Details on the Montana Council website.

A St. Charles boy just earned an honor few ever do: a Boy Scouts of American Medal of Merit, for saving another little boy’s life. Connor Doherty, 8, jumped into a swimming pool without hesitation as a 3 year old was sinking fast, back in November. Tuesday, he to lead the Cub Scout District Council meeting in the pledge of allegiance, plus a lot more.

See a transcript of the video: St. Charles Boy Earns Boy Scouts of American Medal of Merit

This week marked the 10 year anniversary of the Texas A and M Bonfire tragedy. The bonfire was an Aggie tradition since 1909, and was a symbol of the burning desire of Texas A and M to beat the University of Texas longhorns. On November 18th, 1999, at 2:42am the stack of logs collapsed killing eleven students and one Alumnus, and seriously injuring 27 others. The tragedy affected the Texas A and M Community and the entire country, and as it turns out, had a large impact on the Scouting Community.

A Northern Tier Alumnus, and friend, had pointed me in the direction Christopher Breen, one of the twelve killed in the collapse, thinking it would be a good story to share on Scouting News. However, as I did some research I discovered at least five killed in the tragedy were Eagle Scouts. Here are their stories:

The Texas A and M Alumnus that was killed, Christopher David Breen had a strong connection to Northern Tier. Chris was an Eagle Scout and was a Charlie Guide at Sommers Canoe Base during the summers of 1994 through 1997. Working at Northern Tier was a big part of who Chris was, and according to the notice that was sent out to the Northern Tier Alumni community, he was buried with his “Charlie Guide” canoe paddle. Chris’ legacy will forever live on through the Scout’s lives he touched while working as a Charlie Guide, and through a Northern Tier Seasonal Staff Scholarship in his honor.

Nathan Scott West from Bellaire, Texas was another Eagle Scout lost in the tragedy. West had graduated High School in 1998 with a promising future already in hand. He was a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist, had scored more than 1400 on the SAT, and competed on the Swim Team. John Harris, West’s Scoutmaster, recalled that for his Eagle Scout project, West refurbished the old St. Vincent’s Cemetery off Navigation, where Confederate Civil War hero Dick Dowling is buried. Once he became an Eagle Scout, West stayed in the Troop to help the younger Boy Scouts.

Lucas John Kimmel was an Eagle Scout, and was 19, a freshman at Texas A and M when the Bonfire collapsed in 1999. Lucas’ love for the outdoors personified him. It gave him the chance to be outdoors, and it gave him the chance to be with the animal life that he appreciated so much. This appreciation led him to A and M in hopes of someday becoming a veterinarian. “He loved animals. We lived out in the country. He found a baby bird in the field and we rescued it and got it growing up. Dogs, cats, rabbits. That’s why he wanted to be a veterinarian.”

Chad A. Powell, an Eagle Scout, a track athlete, a computer whiz, a musician, Chad always made time to serve other people. He also kept up his grades through all of that, graduating as valedictorian of his class at Keller High School in Keller, Texas. Described by friends as “A model of honor, true character, and loyalty. He honored his life with integrity, his family with love and devotion, his community with leadership, friendship, and service, his God with commitment and passion”.

The twelth man to die, Timothy Doran Kerlee, Jr. was an Eagle Scout from Germantown, Tennessee. When the stack collapsed his pelvis was crushed, his arm broken, and his internal organs badly damaged. Despite his own injuries he told rescuers to “Help my buddies first,” and proceeded to direct rescue workers to five others before allowing them to free him. He died later in the hospital when his life support was disconnected. Eagle Scout Tim Kerlee was posthumously granted Boy Scouts of America’s Medal of Merit, for his heroic actions.

Please take a moment to remember their lives and say a few words of support for their families and friends on this anniversary. You can read more about the Bonfire tragedy, the memorial, and its victims on the Online Texas A and M Bonfire Memorial.