By Angela H. Hill
Lori Atkins said her son Cody still tells her he’s not sure why he received one of the Boy Scouts of America’s top national medals. The 17-year-old says that in rescuing his brother from their burning home, he was just doing what anyone else would do.
The Boy Scouts of America’s National Court of Honor, however, found that what this young man did was heroic.
On August 26, in a special ceremony at Ross Harbor United Methodist Church, Cody received The Honor Medal, a medal awarded to a Scout or leader who has demonstrated unusual heroism and skill in saving or attempting to save a life at a considerable risk to himself. This is the Boy Scouts of America’s second-highest national honor award.
The Atkins family moved to Woolwine in June, but the fire happened at their former home in College Station, Texas, where Cody was a member of Troop 976. Due to a delay caused by an application error, The Honor Medal came to Cody through the Woolwine troop.
Lori said the fire happened on March 22, 2015, after an electrical short that may have involved a space heater. That evening, Cody and his younger brother Travis—then 15 and 9—wanted to go camping in the yard, but the ground was saturated from recent rain.
It was the last weekend before spring break, and the boys had their heart set on camping, Lori said, so she suggested they “camp” in the living room. They set about putting up a tent and air mattress, recreating an indoor version of a camp site, she continued.
“At about 12:30, 1 in the morning, I woke up to smoke in the house,” Lori said. “Cody immediately tried to wake Travis, but Travis was difficult to wake and he actually fought Cody, wanting to go back to sleep.
“By this time, the smoke was so thick you could not see and had to feel your way around. There were visible flames along the edges of the ceiling. Cody wrapped him in a blanket and forcibly removed him from the house,” Lori said.
To this day, she is amazed at how calm Cody stayed, particularly given that he has Asperger’s. “That kid was a rock throughout it all. I don’t know where we’d be without him.”
Within minutes, Lori said, their house was engulfed in flames. To make matters worse, as the fire worsened, the main electric line dropped off the house and landed on the rain-soaked ground.
Cody continued to remain collected, Lori said, keeping his brother calm and inside the family truck where he was safe from the electric line and fire.
Cody greeted emergency personnel, making sure they were also aware of the downed line.
For four hours, the three of them sat in the truck and watched the house burn. When Lori finally broke down in tears, she said, Travis put his arm around her shoulders and told her, “It’s OK mom. We are all OK, and that’s all that matters.”
Lori said she attributes the fact that Cody handled the situation
courageously and calmly to the training he received through the Boy Scouts of America. Cody, now 17, is a Star Scout and working toward a Life Scout. He hopes to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
Cody will continue homeschooling for 11th grade. His brother Travis, now 11, attends Trinity Christian School and is a Webelo Cub Scout.
