Dakota Keck had noticed the toddler walking alone by the pool earlier that day. But as Dakota prepared to belly flop off the diving board at a swim club in Allentown last July, he was startled to see the child in the deep diving well below him.

Putting his Cub Scout training to use, Dakota, 10, and a member of Pack 8 in South Whitehall Township, jumped in, grabbed the child and guided him safely to the ladder.

''His mom congratulated me and said, 'Thanks,' '' recalled Dakota Saturday, a day after receiving one of the Boy Scouts' highest honors -- the National Heroism Award.

Dakota was one of two area Scouts to receive a national award at the Minsi Trails Council's annual recognition dinner in Orefield Friday night. David Burgermeister, 19, of Bethlehem, received the National Certificate of Merit for taking swift action that may have saved his aunt's life in 2007.

''This is not a usual event,'' said Don Sachs, the council's marketing director. Only a few hundred Boy Scouts across the country earn such awards each year. 

Burgermeister, who has since attained the rank of Eagle, is attending Northampton Community College and is no longer active with Troop 335 of Bethlehem, said his Scouting skills came in handy the day he found his diabetic aunt mumbling incoherently by her bed. After finding her door locked, her car parked and her newspaper on the porch at 12:45 p.m., Burgermeister sought a neighbor's help to get into his aunt's house.

''From my Scout training I knew that there were three things you need to check: ABC -- airway, breathing and circulation.'' He called for an ambulance and stayed by her side.