Give a nod of acknowledgment, if not respect, for Reid Vaenuku of Euless.
The kid earned the highest of all Boy Scouts honors when the organization named him the recipient of the Honor Medal with Crossed Palms. The ceremony took place at Wednesday night, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Colleyville.
The award is praiseworthy enough. Only 250 Scouts have earned the crossed palms since Scouting became a thing in 1938. Vaenuku’s actions that earned the honor, though, outshine the award.
Vaenuku saved his little brother from a house fire that destroyed the family home.
The fire, in fact, ignited in Vaenuku’s bedroom when a cell phone charger overheated and caught flame. He alerted the family, and everybody fled the flaming house. Everybody except Keio Vaenuku, the Scout’s younger brother, who went back to sleep thinking the shouts of “fire” were a joke, according to a press release from Boy Scout Troop 273 of Euless.
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Standing outside with other members of his family, Reid Vaenuku bolted back inside, made it to his little brother’s room, woke the boy, smacked him on the head, maybe, and shepherded him outside.
The house was a total loss. The family was a total save thanks to Reid Vaenuku.
Wear those crossed palms with pride, boy. You earned them.
Bruce Felps owns and operates East Dallas Times, an online community news outlet serving the White Rock Lake area. He never made it past Tiger Cub of the Boy Scouts' minor league, the Cub Scouts.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NBC, NBC 5, NBCDFW.com or its employees.
