Fallon teens receive Boy Scout ‘Medal of Merit’

Wednesday, May 20, 1998 | 2:52 a.m.

Brad Hellyar, 14, and Joel Lara, 15, received their awards last week from Gov. Bob Miller in a ceremony in Carson City.

Hellyar was attending a Boy Scout camp last summer when another boy began choking on a piece of candy.

While others stood frozen, Hellyar took quick action, performing the Heimlich maneuver on his friend, Mark Hubbard.

"I didn't think about it much until we both caught our breaths," Hellyar said. "Then I realized how scared I was."

Lara was honored for saving his 2-year-old sister from drowning.

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