Here is an encouraging article from the Marine Digest. *Mark O'Connell* Outpost 254 Commander Sacramento, CA Don't drive faster than your angel can fly. [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [marines] Digest (06/02/1999 21:00) (#1999-74) SCOUT HELPS COMMUNITY, EARNS WINGS By Sgt. Cindy Fisher MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (May 13) -- A Camp Pendleton teenager is soaring on the path of success. By helping others, Andrew Ross Love has completed a goal only 2.5 percent of all Boy Scouts reach. He became an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Scouts, April 20. The journey has taught him that loyalty, helpfulness and trustworthiness are important, said Andrew, 15. People should be able to trust each other. If they say they are going to do something, then they should. When he first joined the Scouts in 1994, he said he did not plan to become an Eagle Scout, he just wanted to have fun and be part of a group. It became his goal after he learned that former U.S. presidents and other successful people were Eagle Scouts, he said. His khaki uniform is pressed and dotted with patches denoting accomplishments. His sash hangs from his right shoulder covered with merit badges. Eagle Scouts are an elite group of people and it is a privilege to be in their company, he said. Becoming an Eagle Scout is not the only indicator a teenager is on the right track but it is a powerful one, said LtCol. Robert E. Love, Andrews father. We tried to raise him with high moral standards, but most of the credit goes to him. He is just a good young man with high standards and ethics, he said. When the media report negative things children do, it is encouraging to see a child accomplish something positive, Love said. Andrew is quick to praise his parents for keeping me focused on my goals. They remind me to take care of the little details as well as the big ones. He also credits his friends for helping him stay on track and out of trouble, he said. My friends have the same standards to follow the law and try to be good, responsible citizens as I do. To earn the Eagle Scout rank, Love planned and completed a community service project to build a drainage canal and plant five cottonwood trees at Live Oak Park in Fallbrook. The canal, 75-feet long and 3-feet wide, reduced erosion at the parks baseball field and directed rainwater away from a nearby dirt road. The park provided supplies and tools. Andrew organized fellow troop members and adult volunteers of Troop 789s Desert Pacific Committee to do the work. It was hard to get everything organized and took months of planning. Once we got to the park, everything fell into place and we finished in a day, Andrew said. He did not earn Eagle Scout on his own, it was a group effort, he said. His troop supported him in his quest by holding classes and teaching the curricula necessary for various merit badges. Andrew had to earn at least 21 merit badges. He exceeded the requirement with 32. His personal management badge was hardest to earn, he said. For six months he had to keep track of his allowance and what he spent it on. His other badges include emergency preparedness, journalism, communications, wilderness survival, environmental sciences and computers. He has also volunteered at a local blood bank serving food and drinks to blood donors. As one of the oldest in the troop of more than 20 members, he is now the assistant senior patrol leader. He helps run troop meetings and coordinates campouts. Everybody cant be a follower, somebody has to be willing to lead, Love said. He has also been the troops librarian, scribe and patrol leader. When he is not scouting, the sophomore at Fallbrook Union High School plays tenor saxophone in the schools marching band. He also plays soccer on base in a summer league. He is an honor student and takes advanced courses. College is in his plans. But I have not decided if I want to study chemistry, math or computers. Andrew is a very mature and responsible individual, said Jim Russ, a troop volunteer. His family and the way they work with him have made him this way. The family believes in scouting, his father said. The Boy Scouts are like the Marine Corps, they havent lowered their standards. They still believe in good, old-fashioned values like honesty and loyalty. His father is the assistant Scout master for Troop 789. Scouting has become a family tradition. Andrews father was a Scout and his mother was a Girl Scout. His 12-year-old sister is a Girl Scout and his 9-year-old brother is a Cub Scout. Now that he is an Eagle Scout, Andrew is still an active member of his troop. He has already completed requirements for a bronze palm, which is like the Marine Corps gold star, his father said. The palm will be awarded to him for earning five more merit badges and displaying leadership in his troop. If you keep trying, eventually you will succeed, is Andrews advice to anyone trying to reach a goal. _______ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Eat the hay & spit out the sticks!" RTKB&G4JC! Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://rangernet.org
