Jack Pape of Omaha, Nebraska had to use his Boy Scout CPR training skills in 2009 when a tornado slammed the Little Sioux Boy Scout Retreat. Sadly, several Scouts lost their lives that day. But Jack helped to save many lives that day using the CPR skills he learned in his years as a Boy Scout.
Fast forward one year and Jack again found himself in an emergency situation. A small boy fell into a pool and was drowning. Jack performed CPR on the boy and kept him alive long enough for his family to spend a short amount of time with him. Although the young boy passed away, Jack did everything he was trained to do in order to save the boy’s life.
For his efforts, he received the Red Cross Certificate of Merit – the highest award given by the American Red Cross. “I just think that it’s important that everyone learns because you never know when you’re going to need it to save the life of a friend or another person,” Pape said at the awards ceremony.
Jack’s parents are obviously proud of his accomplishment. “We’re very proud, and we were a little worried about him because there are bad memories involved, but very proud, brings tears to your eyes.”
According to Jack, when the situation presents itself, there is no thinking about it. “I didn’t think when I did it, it was just get up, look around what needs to be done, at that point it was just training that kicked in second nature,it wasn’t until after that I was like wow what just happened.”
Our congratulations and respect go out to you, Jack. Your efforts truly represent the idea of Being Prepared and helping others in need. Awesome Job!
