Brandon Klotter, a Boy Scout from Harrison, Ohio, received one of the organization's highest honors for saving the life of a fellow camper who was pinned under a fallen tree.
Klotter, 14, received the National Medal of Merit for his service, WLWT-TV reported. The teenager also was recognized by the Harrison City Council, the Hamilton County Sheriff, and U.S. and Ohio state leaders with several proclamations.
"When I gave him the award, I felt that he really deserved it," fellow scout Max Kramer told WLWT-TV. "I mean, he saved my life."
Klotter and Kramer were sharing a tent at Camp Michael in Union, Kentucky on June 13 when a tree fell on them while they slept. Kramer was pinned, suffering broken ribs, a lacerated lung and a shattered spleen.
Klotter provided first aid to Kramer and then ran down a gravel road barefooted for a quarter-mile to find help, WLWT-TV said.
"I'm not going to lie, I was pretty scared," Klotter said on Wednesday when he received the honor at Crossway Community Church, per WCPO-TV. "I feel like in this case, anyone could have done what I did if they were put into it."
WCPO-TV said emergency personnel were able to safely remove Kramer and get him to a hospital.
"I felt there was a lot of little things that happened that kind of came together in the end and made it a miracle," Kramer told WCPO-TV. "I just feel like he really does deserve it."
The National Medal of Merit is part of the Boy Scouts' National Court of Honor Lifesaving and Meritorious Action Awards, and is given to a scout who "has performed an act of service of a rare or exceptional character that reflects an uncommon degree of concern for the well-being of others," according to the organization's website.
WLWT-TV said Kramer recovered from what were considered life-threatening injuries and has returned to school.
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