Minnesota Cub Scout, 9, honored for pulling drowning girl from bottom of pool

A 9-year-old Minnesota Cub Scout has received one of Scouting America's rarest honors for pulling a drowning girl from the bottom of a pool.

Cameron Scharfbillig was presented with the organization's Honor Medal at a ceremony in Sartell, Minnesota. The medal is given for "unusual heroism for saving or attempting to save life at considerable risk to self," the citation read at the ceremony said.

Cameron was 7 last year when he saw a girl drowning at the bottom of a pool. He swam through 6 feet of water to reach her and brought her to the surface.

A Scouting America committee believes the girl may have died seconds later without his help.

Cameron and his father, Joseph Scharfbillig, said it was a scary moment. His father said Cameron was right there under the water with the girl and recognized she needed help. Learning what his son had done makes him "so proud," he said.

Cameron knows how uncommon the recognition is.

"I feel like it's very rare that things get to happen like this, so I'm pretty excited," he said.

He's right. Scouting America has awarded about 2,000 Honor Medals since 1923.