What started as a summer rafting trip on a Georgia river ended with a Boy Scout saving his troop leader’s life, and two years later, that act has earned him one of Scouting America’s rarest awards.
Devon Champenoy, now 15, received the Honor Medal with Crossed Palms this month, according to the Red Wolf District. CBS affiliate KHOU reported that fewer than 300 scouts have received the award in Scouting America’s history.
The award recognizes what was described as Champenoy’s “unusual heroism and extraordinary skill” after a 2022 rafting trip near the Blue Ridge Mountains went wrong.
“I didn’t feel it at the moment. It was just instinct,” Champenoy told KHOU of the risks he took to save Assistant Scoutmaster David Lemley.
“It took a while for me to accept that I saved a life, but I think now I have,” he continued.
According to KHOU, scouts in Troop 277 were at summer camp in northern Georgia when they went rafting on Class III rapids. Lemley was on a raft with Champenoy and other scouts when the group hit rough water.
Lemley was thrown from the raft twice. The second time, he could not pull himself back in because his foot was stuck.
“My waist and head were underwater,” Lemley told KHOU. “My head’s just bouncing off rocks.”
For minutes, he struggled to breathe, according to the report. Champenoy then helped free Lemley’s foot and guided the raft to safety.
In comments written in response to the Red Wolf District’s announcement, Lemley described what happened next.
“Devon took control of the raft and, for the next 15 to 20 minutes, navigated the strong currents,” Lemley wrote, “while guiding several first-time campers (10 to 11 years old) safely through multiple sets of rapids until they reached calmer water.”
KHOU reported that Lemley broke his foot during the incident.
“There’s no doubt in my mind — had Devon not stepped in to free my foot, I was going to die,” Lemley told the outlet.
The recognition Champenoy received this month is one few scouts ever get. The Red Wolf District announced the award as the Honor Medal with Crossed Palms, and KHOU reported that fewer than 300 have been given out in the organization’s history.
The rescue happened when Champenoy was 13. He is now working toward becoming an Eagle Scout, according to the report.
His account of the moment stayed simple.
“I didn’t feel it at the moment. It was just instinct,” Champenoy told KHOU. “It took a while for me to accept that I saved a life, but I think now I have.”
