Now the Debriefing Begins
With Michael now safe a lot of folks are looking at what all transpired and what can be learned from it. From the number of posts out here as well as on other sites there seems to be a significant number of people have some questions about what really happened. As one has worked in the past with children with ADD I will tell you they have impulses that they act on and it maybe a little bit before they catch themselves. This is greater impulses then other children that don’t have ADD. Not knowing Michael you can not make an accurate assessment as to motives or even if he had motives in this whole episode. I think it’s not a coincidence that the family had him transferred to Moses Cone Hospital which is in his home town but also has a Child Behavioral Health Unit. I hope Michael gets all the help he needs and his family gets any support and/ or education on how to help Michael be successful.
The Scout Leaders for the troop have met and processed what all happened and looking for ways to avoid situations like this in the future.
So far, there’s no clear-cut answer, but leaders said they plan to talk to risk management consultants and other troops around the country to assess their policies.
“I can’t think of anything immediately,” said Scoutmaster Scott Spillmann. “I think leaders took safety precautions, checked on the boys, they checked on Michael several times.”
During the campout, the troop used the buddy system to help the four adult chaperones keep track of the seven Scouts.
The incident hasn’t put a damper on the troop’s desire to continue camping. In fact, leaders said the incident has brought the troop closer together.
“We were already close. This has brought us even closer. We’ve shared something that I don’t think any of us can walk away from unchanged,” said Spillmann.
While the troop can’t change what happened off the Blue Ridge Parkway, leaders want Michael to know that they miss him and love him.
The troop plans to go camping again next month, and the Scouts hope Michael will join them.
I suspect that this situation will be a learning moment for a lot of young scouts across the country and I hope they learn the important lesson that Michael forgot STOP
Stop and Take a deep breath and calm yourself down so you can think clearly
Think about your situation where are you how did you get here. Don’t Move
Observe the things around you look for trails, footprints, trail markers, weather, and terrain.
Plan how you are going to deal with your situation, prioritize your needs and try to conserve your energy. Above all stay put let the searchers find you.
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Cool story brotha. Wish you could have got one, after all the head ache. T.
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