Matthew Mollet, 17, a Life Scout from Boy Scout Troop 142, and senior at Forest Lake High School, was awarded the Boy Scouts of America National Medal of Merit for his life saving actions on November 24, 2006 of his father, Bart Mollet.

Mollet said that on November 24, while skiing during a family vacation at Lutsen Mountain Ski Resort, he witnessed his father Bart Mollet fall after hitting a patch of ice and bare ground, resulting in multiple summersaults before finally landing off the ski run.

After a few seconds of witnessing no movement, his dad began waving his ski pole in the air.

Upon arriving at the location, Mollet quickly observed that his dad was badly injured and needed immediate medical care.

Mr. Mollet had difficulty breathing and was bleeding in multiple places on the face.

Even with the arrival of the Lutsen Ski Patrol, Mollet continued first aid; applied gauze to dad’s face to control the bleeding, and helped open the airway to allow him to breathe sufficiently.

Other members of the Ski Patrol arrived with a stretcher and toboggan to evacuate him from the ski area.

He continued to assist in stabilizing his dad while placing him on the stretcher and firmly securing him to the toboggan to be taken to an ambulance.

During this situation, he instructed his two brothers to wait at the nearby chalet.

On the gondola ride back to the main mountain, he reassured them that everything was fine and that their father was going to be all right. He then drove his brothers to the cabin where their mother was, calmly informed her of the situation and drove the family to Grand Marais.

Upon arrival, the family learned that his injuries were critical and he would be airlifted to Duluth for further care.

His father survived and in time recovered from his accident after spending several days in intensive care and several months recuperating at home.

The father suffered fractures to the head, neck, and back, but no permanent disability.

This situation tested mental extremes; caring for a loved one who was critically injured.

During this situation, Mollet applied his Boy Scout training in first aid and remained calm despite the circumstances.

While he admits “not feeling comfortable in calling my actions ‘heroic,’ I recognize that my knowledge of first aid and my assistance during this situation affected the outcome of the accident.

“I give credit to the knowledge that I have gained in Boy Scouts and the lessons I have learned from my father that allowed me to respond in the manner I did on November 24th.”

Top of Page