Lakenheath brothers soar to new heights

[The Patriot]

Lakenheath brothers soar to new heights

03-10-2011 07:32 AM

ShareThis Published:
Thu, 2011-03-10 15:25


Lakenheath brothers soar to new heights


feature_story_photo:
Colin and Ryan McDonnell recently earned the Eagle Scout Award through the Boy Scouts of America. Photos courtesy of Tim Barlow






Lakenheath brothers soar to new heights

Heather Joy

Earning the Eagle Scout Award is more than just an honor. It’s a lifelong commitment for a Boy Scout.
Two brothers from RAF Lakenheath’s Troop 219 recently earned the distinction. It’s the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America and is achieved by only 4 percent of boys who participate in the service organization.
The recipients, Colin, 16 and Ryan McDonnell, 18, demonstrated strength of character that earned them the prestigious Eagle Scout Award. They celebrated their hard work with a joint awards ceremony February 23rd.
The Eagle Scout Award typically is earned at the culmination of a boy’s time in Scouting. More than anything, it’s a test of a Scout’s perseverance, leadership skills and allegiance to others. The award is built around a community project planned, executed and followed-up by the Scout.
For his community project Ryan, a senior, at RAF Lakenheath High School, organized a seminar that taught people about Geocaching – and outdoor sport that uses global positioning system receivers. He set up training course on base and held the seminar in union with outdoor recreation. Over forty members of the base community took part in the seminar learning the basics of Geocaching before going out on their own to explore.
According to Ryan it takes a lot of initiative and motivation to plan and implement the project.
Colin’s community project was to refurbish a cloister in the courtyard at the RAF Lakenheath chapel. The project included a lot of power washing, sanding, painting and replacing a picnic table. Other members of the boys’ troop along with friends and family aided Colin with the renovations.
Colin, a junior, admits that sometimes it was hard to stay motivated in scouts as they moved around but after a year off from scouting he returned to start working towards Eagle Scout.
“Troop 219 has a lot of great leaders and they really did so much to get me back on track and to Eagle as soon as possible,” added Colin.
The boys are now members of an exclusive group of Eagle Scouts who take a pledge to “make my training an example, my rank and my influence count strongly for better Scouting and for better citizenship in my troop, in my community, and in my contacts with other people.”
From applications to college and the military, and even in future employment, the Eagle award is recognized by many as a sign of outstanding character.
“It is an instant identifier, it identifies you as someone that is motivated, that will follow through with things and a person that can be trusted,” explained Ryan.








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