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Most Saturday mornings in Dewey Beach are quiet, and the beach is only speckled with early-morning enthusiasts walking their dogs. Saturday, Aug. 19, was different. Maryland Boy Scouts gathered to remember and honor a young man who died in the ocean, to hear from another young man whose life was forever changed after an accident in the surf, and to learn how to help save lives in the water.
The 5th annual beach safety weekend was an opportunity for Boy Scout members from Silver Springs, Md. to learn life lessons about the ocean.
“They came away with the lesson that you don’t trust the ocean no matter what, and that’s important because they all go to the beach at least once a year,” said Scout leader Dave Talbot. He said the troop takes a trip to Assateague Island, Va. each year.
One of the organizers, Susan Johnson, wants that message to reach the young men to help prevent serious injuries.
“Since my son drowned, I’ve worked to organize these safety days for other young men,” Johnson said. Her son, Michael Johnson, drowned off Rehoboth Beach Aug. 23, 1998.
Scouts from troops 495 and 1083 also got to meet another person who was tragically touched by the ocean.
“Our special guest, Josh Basile, has shown remarkable courage in the face of this traumatic event in his life,” Johnson said.
In his first trip to the ocean since the accident that paralyzed him, Basile, of Potomac, Md. talked to the scouts about how quickly he was hurt. He broke his neck and was paralyzed in a swimming accident Aug. 4, 2004, in Bethany Beach, when he was just 19-years old. He discussed his life before the accident as a sophomore on a tennis scholarship at Skidmore College. Now he’s in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t stop him from helping others by sending the message of prevention. He even asked to see the ocean again and was taken to the shoreline in a beachwheel chair.
“Talking to Josh was another side of things,” Talbot said. He said hearing a story first-hand from someone with whom the scouts could identify struck them with the reality of how serious the lesson of prevention is.
Two Dewey guards, Matt Houseknecht and Sarah Stephens, gave the scouts tips on safety in a lecture, followed with a question period for the boys to ask about specific situations.
“It was great for marine education and beach safety awareness. It’s especially important for people who aren’t familiar with it and who aren’t from here to learn,” said Dewey Beach Patrol Capt. Todd Fritchman. The guards also took the scouts to the beach and helped them perform mock-rescues on each other in the same style the guards practice.
“This is a wonderful program and I’m so proud Dewey Beach is a part of it,” said Commissioner Dell Tush, who attended the event.
The weekend program was sponsored by Dewey Beach Patrol, Susan and Carl Johnson, of Silver Springs, Md. and Dr. Peter Hartsock, board member of the U.S. Lifesaving Association.
Basile founded an organization, Determined 2 Heal, for families of newly injured spinal cord patients and to spread awareness and prevention information. For more information go to www.determined2heal.org.
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