Thomas Larson Receives Medal of Merit

Parker Smith, Reporter

 

Thomas Larson (11) was praised as a hero on September 18, 2018 for his contribution in the saving of two people’s lives on April 3, 2017. The young teen– then 14– was on a school arranged trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with other MSHS classmates. They were there to be immersed in the Spanish language as well as to help the impoverished people living in and outside of the city. During that trip, they went to a beach where one side is called Lover’s Beach and the other is called Divorce Beach. The Lovers side is calm because it is enclosed in the bay, whereas the Divorce side is extremely dangerous because it is on the Pacific side of the peninsula. The beach has already claimed many lives but thanks to the decisive thinking and quick action of Larson and Parker Smith (11), the two tourists were saved. The two were on a honeymoon and had left their home in Alicante, Spain to enjoy a little vacation. Because of his actions, on September 18, Larson was honored by the Boy Scouts of America and received the Medal of Merit, which is one of the rarest medals to receive. The medal serves as an award for the actions that everybody hopes they could take if faced with the situation.