LAX shooting survivor says Boy Scout first-aid training saved his life

Brian LudmerAn Eagle Scout who was shot in the leg during Friday’s deadly attack at Los Angeles International Airport credits first-aid training he learned as a Scout with saving his life.

Brian Ludmer, a 29-year-old California teacher and former member of Lake Forest, Ill., Troop 48, used a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding in his leg and keep himself alive.

In an interview with NBC News, Dan Stepenosky, superintendent of Ludmer’s school district, said Ludmer’s Scouting skills proved invaluable.

“He dragged himself to a nearby closet, closed the door and relied on his old Boy Scouts training to create a makeshift tourniquet to help slow the bleeding,” Stepenosky said. 

Ludmer, who remains in good condition at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, earned his Eagle Scout Award in 2002. To reach Scouting’s highest rank, Ludmer had to earn the First Aid merit badge, which teaches Scouts both how to apply a tourniquet and the benefits and risks of doing so.

No Scout or Scouter ever expects to use first-aid training for something like this. But the first-aid skills Scouts learn equip them to respond in worst-case scenarios like Friday’s shooting, which left one Transportation Security Administration officer dead and wounded several others.

I’ve reached out to Ludmer’s troop to see whether I can talk to some of his former troopmates and leaders. In the meantime, let’s all wish him and the other victims a swift recovery while extending our prayers and thoughts to the family of Gerardo Hernandez, who was killed in the attack.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.