Lt. Col. Andrew Wilcox, left, looks on as his wife, Shirley, presents their son, Drew, 13, a Boy Scout, a Medal of Merit certificate at a ceremony Monday at the Camp Courtney Scout Hut. He received the medal for helping care for people injured after a rogue wave struck the cliffs of Zanpa Point on Sept. 17. (Cindy Fisher / S&S)
Lt. Col. Andrew Wilcox, left, looks on as his wife, Shirley, presents their son, Drew, 13, a Boy Scout, a Medal of Merit certificate at a ceremony Monday at the Camp Courtney Scout Hut. He received the medal for helping care for people injured after a rogue wave struck the cliffs of Zanpa Point on Sept. 17. (Cindy Fisher / S&S)
The cliffs of Zanpa Point, Okinawa, are a popular place to view the waves before and after typhoons. Though the cliffs rise 50 feet from the sea, waves driven into shore by typhoon-force winds sometimes can make it over the cliffs. Drew Wilcox, 13, earned a Boy Scout Medal of Merit on Monday for helping care for people injured after such a wave struck the cliffs on Sept. 17. (Cindy Fisher / S&S)
CAMP COURTNEY, Okinawa — For Drew Wilcox, there was only one thing to do.
“I saw people that were hurt,” the 13-year-old Boy Scout recalled about the day last September when he helped rescue several people injured by a large wave. “It would have been wrong to leave them [lying] there hurt.”
For his actions, Drew received the Medal of Merit on Monday at Camp Courtney. The award can be approved only by the Boy Scouts’ National Court of Honor, said Master Gunnery Sgt. Jim Rankin, one of the troop leaders for Camp Courtney’s Troop 110.
Drew displayed extraordinary presence of mind and exemplified life lessons taught in the Boy Scouts, Rankin said.
It all began Sept. 16, when Typhoon Shanshan battered Okinawa with gusting winds of 60 mph and heavy sheets of rain.
The next day, the typhoon had passed Okinawa, but spectacular waves still were crashing into the 50-foot cliffs off Zanpa Point. Drew and his family went to watch the waves and got a little more than they expected.
A group of locals were standing close to the edge of the cliffs when disaster struck.
Looking out to sea, “you could see this monster wave developing,” said Drew’s father, Lt. Col. Andrew Wilcox, with 3rd Marine Division.
He remembered watching it build up as it moved closer to the cliffs.
The wave rushed over the cliff and the people standing at the edge were caught in its power. Surging water knocked them down and dragged them along the sharp coral rocks.
“It looked like an explosion had hit these people,” the Marine said. “They had lacerations all over and were bleeding all over.”
He and a buddy rushed forward to pull wounded adults from the cliffs.
Drew also rushed forward, something that surprised his father.
“All the Okinawan adults had run off in terror, and [Drew] remained calm and helped,” his father said.
“I kind of just followed my Dad,” said Drew, who was 12 at the time. “I saw people were hurt and I saw this little girl that was crying and I wanted to help.”
So he did.
Drew led injured Okinawan children to a triage area to wait for ambulances. He got toilet paper from the restrooms to use as bandages for almost a dozen of the injured and gathered water to clean wounds.
“Drew stepped in with great presence of mind for a boy of 12,” his father said proudly. “The kids were in pain and crying, but he was able to calm them down.”
Scouts honor only the rarest accomplishments
CAMP COURTNEY, Okinawa — Earning a Boy Scout lifesaving or meritorious action award is rarer than becoming an Eagle Scout, a Boy Scouts of America official said Monday.
The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America can give out one of five awards for special services to others: the Honor Medal With Crossed Palms, the Honor Medal, the Heroism Award, the Medal of Merit and the National Certificate of Merit.
Of five million Boy Scouts members, last year only 167 received any of these awards, said Tom Bannon, the Boy Scouts’ Okinawa district executive.
According to the Boy Scouts of America Web site, a committee thoroughly investigates any local troop’s application for an award before making a recommendation to the National Court of Honor.
The court then determines what level of award is merited:
Honor Medal With Crossed Palms — May be awarded for unusual heroism and extraordinary skill or resourcefulness in saving or attempting to save life at extreme risk to self.Honor Medal — May be awarded for unusual heroism and skill in saving or attempting to save life at considerable risk to self.Heroism Award — May be awarded for heroism and skill in saving or attempting to save life at minimum risk to self.Medal of Merit — May be awarded for an outstanding service act of a rare or exceptional character that reflects an uncommon degree of concern for others’ well-being.National Certificate of Merit — May be awarded for a significant act of service that is deserving of special national recognition.— Cindy Fisher. Source: Boy Scouts of America
