Cub Scout honored for heroic acts

DENVER - His quick actions saved his father's life and on Tuesday, a young Colorado Cub Scout received a top scouting honor.

Kirby Berke received national attention for his heroic acts and was chosen to lead the Pledge of Allegiance with top leaders in the organization.

"I was really nervous coming to this," Kirby said. "I know it's really special to dad because he was the victim."

What Kirby did proves his scouting skills are paying off.

"They're skills many boys don't have just because they don't have the opportunities," Kirby's father Drew Berke said.

Those life skills and training helped Kirby stay calm and dial 911 when his father needed help.

"Me and my sister were watching Sponge Bob when my dad walked into the room and I heard a big bang," Kirby explained.

His father, a diabetic, was having a bad reaction to insulin.

"I remember putting one sleeve in my coat and then waking up with three guys in uniform standing over me. Generally when that happens you say, 'That's probably not a good thing,'" Derek Berke said.

Kirby sprung into action, first poking his father in an attempt to wake him. Then he dialed 911 and told the operator where he lived, what had happened and exactly what his father needed.

"An IV is a super sugar shot and it raises the blood sugar and in a couple minutes he was awake," Kirby said.

Kirby is now considered a hero not just in his father's eyes but also in the eyes of Boy Scouts across the country.

"It was really special to me but of course it was nerve wrecking," he said.

Kirby joined the Cub Scouts in first grade just as his father had done when he was a boy.

Kirby's next step is to become a Boy Scout and eventually a Den Leader, following in his father's footsteps.