March 30th, 2007
"Who's to Blame for Missing Scout Saga?"
A week ago, 12 year old Michael Auberry was rescued from the wilds of
Doughton Park. We all rejoice in his safe return. But now, it’s time to take a
closer look at what happened, why it happened, who’s to blame, and how it could
have been prevented.
Michael was on a camping trip with ten fellow Boy Scouts and three adult
leaders from Troop 230. Suddenly he went missing, and stayed that way for four
days. The news media had a field day with what seemed to be wall-to-wall
coverage. Unfortunately those walls were pretty thin. That’s because no one
asked the tough questions. No one followed leads, or challenged the PR spin.
All we were told was that Michael was an outstanding scout. If the news
media had bothered to read through a Boy Scout hand book, they could have
reported that Michael did not, in fact, follow rules, and, therefore, was not a
responsible scout. First of all, you never go off alone in a strange place.
And, if you do slip away and become disoriented, you stay put, call out to the
Troop, and wait for someone to reach you. Something was fishy about his
disappearance from the very start, but no one considered the possibility that
the youngster was not missing by accident, but by choice. At any rate,
these kinds of questions were never raised. Also, none of the attending
journalists hammered the three adult scout leaders as to how they were unable to
watch over a mere ten boys. The handbook is clear as to the responsibilities
of a scout leader, and in that regard, those men failed in their duty, too.
At last, after several days of searching, Michael was rescued, and that’s
when a few important details finally began to surface, among them: young
Auberry had ADHD; he didn’t want to go camping in the first place, but his Dad
forced him to participate; Michael became homesick; and, Michael left the group
and tried to walk back home through miles of wilderness. Oh yeah, and if he
had made it to the road, Michael’s plan was to hitchhike with a stranger ( I
suppose Michael’s father never taught him about sexual predators either).
The boy’s father and the adult scout leaders all knew of Michael’s medical
condition, yet took no special precaution to care for him while on an
extended camping trip. It would have been appropriate, for example, for Mr. Auberry
to help chaperone the group so that he could watch over his son, making sure
Michael was taking his meds, and was staying focused on the prescribed
activities.
Were any of these issues and criticisms addressed by the news media? Not
initially. Instead we were treated to a myriad of fluff stories about home
coming parties, tying yellow ribbons on trees, and how viewers could email
Michael with their congratulations. Excuse me, but Michael was no hero, and this
saga should have been prevented. Instead, scores of highly trained Search
and Rescue (SAR) teams were mobilized, specialized equipment and helicopters
were brought in, and thousands of man hours expended – all because Michael, his
Dad, and the scout leaders screwed up.
That Michael survived in the woods is fortuitous, and , again, we are all
grateful for his safe return. But we must not ignore the lessons of this near
tragedy. The Boy Scout Council and the Park Service are already taking a
hard look at prevention and procedure. Meanwhile, SAR organizations and
elected officials across the country are continuing to debate the liability issues
of such a case as this. One question is, “Should those who deliberately put
themselves in harm’s way be responsible for the cost of search and rescue?”
In Oregon the International K-9 Search and Rescue Service recommends that
mountain climbers , for example, purchase so called “trip insurance” for up to
$150,000, so that local governments aren’t left holding the bag in the event
of a mishap. I support that recommendation, but on a much broader scale.
Trip Insurance should be mandated for sky divers, white water rafters, and
anyone who camps or hikes in a remote area. No one on the Doughton trip had
that kind of insurance, and now, the Park Service says it will absorb the
cost of search and rescue. Translation, we the taxpayers will pay for the
mistakes of others. Given the nature and scope of this latest fiasco, I believe
that Mr. Auberry and the three adult scout leaders should now be liable for all
costs associated with retrieving Michael.
In any event, we should all begin to address issues of responsibility and
responsible behavior. The Michael Auberry ordeal should serve to initiate
dialogue between parents and their kids, between parents and scout leaders, and
between parents and teachers , about how to keep our children safe when
participating in field trips or excursions of any kind. Short of that, the
offending parties ( Michael, Mr. Auberry, and the three adult leaders) all deserve a
good paddling to the rear. Sometimes a spanking is much more appropriate
than a call from Oprah or the President. Worst of all, these screw-ups
caused a lot of worry and effort by violating their core value. The Boy Scout
motto is “Be Prepared”. Clearly, none of them were. |
