APPLETON, Wis. — The Boy Scouts of America said Tuesday two troops from Appleton are recovering after a harrowing experience aboard an Amtrak train in Missouri Monday.
“The scouts are doing well,” said Scott Armstrong, Director of National Media Relations for the Boy Scouts of America. “They’re running on adrenalin and probably sugary drinks at this point, but they have been very upbeat and starting to reflect on exactly what transpired.”
Armstrong said the scouts are overwhelmed with the international attention their actions have garnered. He said as soon as the train derailed, the scouts went to work helping others.
“They’ve literally gotten global media coverage, at this point it’s starting to sink in. I think just the magnitude of an incident this was,” said Armstrong.
He said the scouts, from Troop 73 and Troop 12 in Appleton, are as looking forward to returning to Wisconsin.
“The seriousness and the gravity is sinking in, but we’ve got a lot of parents that just want to hug their boys and we’re working on getting them home,” he said, though he would not provide details on when and how the scouts will get back to the Fox Cities.
Armstrong said the scouts represented the organization’s values perfectly.
“These scouts were prepared. They didn’t hesitate. They sprung into action and in true scouting fashion looked to help others before they worried about themselves and their own well-being to a certain extent,” he said. “When there’s a flood or a fire or a tornado or train derailment, our scouts are almost aways on the scene at those things and they’re looking out for others. The community, the states, our nation is better for it and these guys showed yesterday exactly why that is.”