June 2001 - James Webb of Beverly, MA, received the Honor Medal with Crossed Palms at the Yankee Clipper Council Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet Thursday evening.

Mr Webb received the award for demonstrating unusual heroism and extraordinary skill or
resourcefulness in saving or attempting to save life at extreme risk to self. This is the most prestigious heroism and meritorious action award bestowed by the National Court of Honor of the Boy Scouts of America.

Since the award was first established in 1938, fewer than 150 individuals have been honored with this award . Mr. Webb was critically injured by downed electric wires in October 2001 while trying to save the life of the victim of a car accident on Bridge Street in Beverly.

The award presentation was made to Mr. Webb by Fred Cummings, Yankee Clipper Council's Advancement Chairman. Mr. Webb is an Eagle Scout, a school teacher, and a volunteer with the ski patrol. He is married and has three children.

Mr. Cummings told the group of Scouters gathered for the council annual meeting that "to his knowledge, this is the first such award to be conferred in Yankee Clipper Council."

He continued by relating Mr. Webb's story as based on eyewitness and newspaper accounts: In the early morning of Tuesday, October 3rd last fall, there was a severe automobile accident on Bridge Street in Beverly, Massachusetts. A car struck a telephone pole. The pole snapped in two and fell onto the car, draping the car in live electric wires. The driver apparently ran away from the scene leaving a dying passenger in the street.

Jim, a local resident, along with a friend and neighbor, Ted Ramsdell, were the first people on the scene. In his own words, Jim reported, "In front of us was a horrific car accident [and] total darkness except for the snapping and popping of electrical lines bouncing around a telephone pole."  Jim asked another neighbor to call 911 and he told Ted not to let anyone near the area. Jim said, " I then crawled to the victim lying in the street and performed a primary survey." Jim had found a pulse.

They flagged down passing motorist, Lynda Montieth, to warn her about the wires, but also looking for help. Lynda just happened to be a registered nurse. As they were about to turn the victim over to begin administering CPR, they both stood up. One of the wires touched Lynda. There was a huge blue flash.

Twenty thousand volts of electricity passed across Lynda's forehead, down her arm and into Jim's back, across his heart, down his legs and out his feet to the ground. Both were knocked unconscious. Lynda "came to" within minutes. But, Jim had gone into a state of apparent cardiac arrest. Minutes later, a paramedic arrived and shocked Jim's heart back to life.

Upon his release from the hospital approximately two weeks later. Jim 's first act was to attend a Troop 6 Court of Honor to see his son receive awards and merit badges from Summer Camp. The dictionary defines "heroism" as a superlative courage, especially in fulfilling a super-humanly high purpose where the odds are against one.

Jim's daughter said, "Dad's always been a hero. Now everybody knows."