Scouting, Volume 68, Number 1, January-February 1980 Page: 64
74 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Heroes (from page 62)
sourceful actions merit the highest com-
mendation."
For saving Clay's life, Rudd Long
received the Honor Medal with Crossed
Palms, and never a man or boy deserved it
more.
Often a lifesaving act is the direct result
of training in Scouting's programs. Take,
for instance, the case of nine-year-old Cub
Scout Craig A. Madsen. When his
11-year-old brother plunged through thin
ice on a 10-foot-deep pond in Manchester,
Conn., on Jan. 1, 1969, Craig sent his sister
for help. Then, remembering the advice
CERTIFICATE FOR HEROISM.
Awarded for "heroism in saving or at-
tempting to save life at the risk of his own. "
for ice rescues in his Bear Cub Scout Book,
Craig grabbed a stick, dropped to his
stomach to help distribute his weight on
the ice, and snaked his way across the thin
ice. Digging the teeth of his figure skates
into the ice behind him, Craig pulled his
brother to safety. For his courage and
clear-headed action, Craig earned the
Medal of Merit.
The Court of Honor's files are replete
with stories of Cub Scouts, Scouts, and
Explorers who applied other skills learned
in Scouting to save lives—rescue breath-
ing; stopping bleeding; treating for shock;
rolling a person whose clothing is afire in a
blanket; the "reach, throw, row, and go"
methods of water rescue; the Heimlich
Maneuver to relieve a choking victim. You
name it; if it's a lifesaving technique,
Scouting's heroes have used it.
By National Court of Honor standards,
the unusual is usual. The Honor Medal is
given for "unusual heroism," as if heroism
were ever common. By my standards, the
acts which earn the Certificate of Heroism
and Medal of Merit are heroic, too. Let's
look at a small sampling of cases, remem-
bering that they are typical, not par-
ticularly unusual in the annals of the court.
First Class Scout Michael Dennee, 16,
of Bridgeport, N.Y., used a bootlace and
his own shirt to dress a gunshot wound
suffered by a friend while hunting. Then,
despite a weakened leg due to a childhood
accident, Michael carried his friend, who
outweighed him by 25 pounds, a half-mile
to the nearest house. Medal of Merit in
1969.
Life Scout Craig Moehring, 16, of Wi-
chita, Kan., pulled a stunned auto accident
victim from a flaming motor home
seconds before gasoline and propane
tanks exploded. His Scoutmaster, Donald
Stevenson, 34, and assistant Scoutmaster.
Dennis Richardson, 32, pried open a door
to free a woman. All received Honor
Medals in 1975.
Explorer Stephen E. Couchman, 18, of
Terre Haute, Ind., swam 20 yards against a
strong current in the Wabash River, then
towed a seven-year-old girl and her
45-year-old uncle to safety. Medal of
Merit in 1969.
Second Class Scout Peter Wack, 13, of
Culver City, Calif., saved his mother by
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when she
suffered a heart attack. Only three days
before, he had seen his first demonstration
of the technique at a troop meeting. Medal
of Merit in 1968.
Wolf Cub Scout Billy A. Richardson, 8,
of Morenci, Ariz., stopped a car with a
three-year-old girl inside as it rolled down
a hill. Honor Medal in 1973.
This honor roll of heroes could go on
and on. It should be required reading for
the cynic who despairs of modern youth,
and it's an inspiration for the Scouter who
wonders whether all the work and worry
are worthwhile.
And for me, another trip in Fantasy-
land: "There I was, at the edge of the
abyss. On the rocks 40 feet below, the
girl moaned in pain. My eyes narrowed,
and..." ■
Man with a Mission (from page 49)
iua
"You can stop worrying about the
quicksand—here comes a crocodile!"
Shared ideals
make Scouting in
New Hope Baptist
Church grow and
succeed.
64
Leadership combined with community
support is the key to 372's top notch
program and the true test of a troop
committee's effectiveness. "How well,"
asks Dean Hancock, "does it get across the
message of what Scouting is doing in the
community and what the troop is doing for
the church?"
Keyes sees it as a matter of communi-
cation. "The church is responsible for the
troop, so its members should know what
we're accomplishing. When you keep
them informed, you get better cooperation
for your program.
"On Sunday mornings, before the ser-
vice, Dunston gives a Scoutmaster's report
on the troop: what they've been doing,
what's being planned, and who won what
awards. That's what keeps the church
membership interested in Scouting. We
also have several church programs that the
troop participates in, like the Veteran's
Day Sunday service. That's when
members of the troop act as ushers and
present the colors during the 11 A.M.
worship service.
"And so far as inspiration and encour-
agement are concerned no one could
match our minister, the Rev. P. L. Mont-
gomery. If it's bus transportation we need
for a camp-out, or going along with us, or
pointing out the values of our church-
Scouting partnership to parents, we can
always count on him. I don't know what we
would do without him."
But there's also an underlying message,
less visible, more personal. "Everybody
wants to be loved," says Earl Ammons.
"You let the parents know you love those
boys, then you've got them, and they'll
support you and your program anyway
they can."
January/February 1980 Scouting
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 68, Number 1, January-February 1980, periodical, January 1980; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353538/m1/64/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.