Scouts earn National Certificate of Merit

During a camping trip last year, Dakota Lane and Jeffrey Staley used the skills taught to them by the Cub Scouts to perform a lifesaving act and have now received a national award commemorating their heroism.

The two fifth grade boys traveled to Yakima and received the National Certificate of Merit from the Boy Scouts of America on April 12.

The boys had been on a camping trip with Lane’s family when Lane, Staley, Lane’s sister Morgan, and her friend Trinity, went out on a four-wheeler ride. A miscalculation while driving on a path caused the two girls’ vehicle to roll multiple times down a hill.

While Morgan was able to leap from the four-wheeler on the first roll, Trinity could not get off the vehicle until the second roll. The two boys quickly sprang into action from the top of the hill and their quick thinking and calm demeanor helped the situation immensely.

Lane took one four-wheeler back to camp to advise the adults of the incident that had just occurred. Staley went down the hill to help the girls back up to the top and help them remain calm.

While the three waited for Lane to return with help, Morgan had expressed her arm hurt. Staley immediately took off his sweatshirt and tied it like a sling to help support her arm. The boys had recently attended a First Aid training class only weeks before.

“I did my best to stay calm and told the adults where the crash was at so they could help Morgan and Trinity,” Lane wrote in a letter he composed for the Boy Scouts.

“When the parents got to us they took the girls back to camp and then went to the hospital. I went to camp and waited for them to get back. When they got back they told me that Morgan broke her arm, and Trinity had a headache and some bruises,” Staley wrote in a letter to the Boy Scouts.

The families of Staley and Lane received notification a couple of weeks prior to the ceremony that the boys had received the national award. They kept the award ceremony a secret from the boys until the day of the event, which created even more excitement and emotion for the boys upon receiving the award.

The National Certificate of Merit is awarded to Scouts who have performed a significant act of service that is deserving of special national recognition, the Boy Scouts of America website states. The award is one of four of the National Court of Honor Lifesaving and Meritorious Action Awards.

“The national awards for lifesaving and meritorious action are made only for outstanding and unusual acts that demonstrate unusual heroism, skill, or bravery and reflect Scouting ideals,” the Boy Scouts website said.

After the boys returned home to Ritzville, they both were honored at the yearend awards ceremony for the local Scouts and received their Arrow of Light awards. The Arrow of Light is the highest award in Cub Scouting, and the two can now move on to become Boy Scouts.