To Help Other People at All Times…

You may have seen news reports recently about a troop of Boy Scouts from New Jersey stopping to help an injured woman they came across on a hiking trail in Harriman State Park in New York. Asked if she was alright, she responded, “No, not really. I think I broke my ankle.” She insisted the Scouts leave her and continue on their way, but they refused to leave her behind.

The Scouts in Troop and Crew 368 out of Berkeley Heights, N.J. went to work immediately, without prompting from Scoutmaster Rick Jurgens, to fashion a splint for the woman’s leg. As Scouts, they were prepared for a situation like this. The Scouts ran into the woods to find two strong sticks they could use with a tarp to create a makeshift stretcher to carry her down the mountain where her husband and son were waiting.

From left: Devon McLean, Michael Middlebrook, Joe McLaughlin, Christopher Friedlander, Chris Pirone, Mark Trella, Andrew Stecher and Chris Tribuna. Not pictured: Peter Krasny // Photo courtesy of Scouting Magazine

Little did they know, they were putting their first aid and rescue skills to use for NBC journalist Ann Curry.

The attention from this heroic rescue is a wonderful example of how our Scouts are ready and prepared to help anyone when needed. It’s not in a Scout’s nature to leave someone behind. They’re bound by the Scout Oath and Law which directs their actions:

Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean, and reverent.

Stories like Ms. Curry’s — people receiving help from a Scout or Scout troop in times of need — are not few and far between. Helping people — possessing the bravery, mental clarity, calmness, knowledge, physical ability and drive to address an emergency and bring someone in trouble to safety — these characteristics are the fiber of a Scout’s being. Scouting molds boys into the kind of individuals who can work in a team and demonstrate leadership for the greater good. We see it at all levels – from a Cub Scout maintaining composure to save his father and dog from drowning, Boy Scouts who saved a security guard suffering from a heart attack by performing CPR, an Eagle Scout who used his first aid training to save a man’s life in the critical moments after motorcycle crash, or even a Silver Buffalo Awardee who goes on to defend and protect the citizens of our nation as Secretary of Defense and director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

This kind of leadership is developed in Scouting. It’s the kind of training and character building that is hard to find anywhere else. And it is what makes me so proud to lead this organization – and its remarkable young men and volunteers – every day. I am proud of all the Scouts in Troop 368 and of all other Scouts who consistently show composure and leadership in tough circumstances. These are the boys that grow up to be extraordinary men of character – men who land on the moon, men who shape the laws of our nation, men who lead companies, men who become philanthropists, and men who even become the President of the United States.

Any parent who is reading, I ask you to consider what Scouting can do for your child. These young men are not the exception in our organization. They learn life-saving skills, how to be leaders, how to work as a team – and they have fun doing it. If you’ve never been invited to check Scouting out for yourself, I’m inviting you now to learn more. If you are part of the Scouting family, invite someone to join you at troop meeting. It is here where the seeds are sown. And, it’s possible that one day, others may find themselves in a situation where they are glad you did.

To read more about this story, visit Bryan on Scouting.

Yours in Scouting,

Wayne