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Jamboree Tales - Day 1
Never Give Up
On July 25, 1962
fourteen year old Monroe County Boy Scout Dennis Churchill was fishing
on Lake Erie with four companions when a sudden severe storm capsized
their boat six miles from shore. Dennis put on a life jacket then left
the others clinging to the boat while he swam for help. With thunder and
lightning crashing overhead, high winds gusting and waves six feet high
washing over him, he swam four hours through the storm alone before finally
reaching shore near the Dundee Cement loading docks. He summoned help
then went back out on the lake with the Sheriffs Department to find the
overturned boat. Dennis was credited with saving four lives that day including
his own. On January 31, 1963 he was awarded the Gold Honor Medal by the
National Council. Out of the more than 75,000 Monroe County residents
that have been members of Scouting since October 16, 1911, he is the only
one to ever receive the award. There were only 19 Honor Medals awarded
in the nation during 1963 from a national membership of over 5,000,000
boys. While Dennis was swimming through the stormy waters alone but for
God, the violence of the waves literally ripped most of the clothing off
those that stayed with the boat. (They believed Dennis had drowned in
the storm after he had been gone several hours and no help had come for
them.) The wind and water took it's toll on Dennis as he struggled to
get help. He weighed but 124 pounds that day. He was in a state of total
exhaustion at the end but he couldn't give up. The lives of others were
depending on him so somehow in those dark lonely moments he found the
strength to keep going. Each of you will have times in your lives where
you feel alone and you will want to give up on something but you must
learn to press on and do your best even if what you are trying to do doesn't
seem attainable. Goodnight Gentlemen.
On to Day 2 =>
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