Two Overland Park Scouts are being hailed heroes after saving one of their friends from near drowning. Andrew Shahrokhi, Troop 10, and Mitchell Weiland, Troop 218, were at a church youth group swim outing when they noticed one of their friends unconscious at the bottom of the deep end of the pool. The two Scouts, who had just earned Lifesaving Merit Badge at the Bartle Scout Reservation, put their newly acquired Scouting knowledge into action immediately.
After assessing the situation, the Scouts retrieved the boy from the bottom of the pool and brought him to the pool’s edge while another former Scout hoisted the boy’s lifeless body from the pool and called for help. The Scouts started CPR and the boy was resuscitated within minutes before EMS arrived. He was later transported to the hospital for evaluation and released later that evening.
Because of their bravery, Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach, who also happens to be an Eagle Scout, honored Andrew and Mitchell at last night’s City Council Meeting with a proclamation and presented the pair with the BSA’s National Medal of Merit in recognition of their heroic acts.