MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The Boy Scouts of America Troop 77 performed its 58th Court of Honor ceremony at Yujo Hall here Sept. 7.
The Court of Honor ceremony is an annual event which recognizes the hard work of the individual Scouts and combined efforts of Troop 77.
“The Court of Honor ceremony publicly recognizes the Scouts’ continued effort and desire to better themselves and to advance themselves, both in knowledge and rank,” said Mike D. Cox, Troop 77 Scout master. “This is the one time every year where our Scouts are publicly recognized for the hard work and dedication it takes to become Eagle Scouts and productive members of society.”
Five Scouts received merit badges and increased their rank to Eagle, the highest rank in the BSA.
Derrick R. Wentling, Aaron Benjamin, Eric Cox, Lucas McDermott and Taylor R. Marine were the honored Scouts. Eagle Scout is a rank only achieved by four percent of scouts.
The ceremony started with a marching of the U.S. and BSA colors. Marine lead the troop in reciting the Boy Scout Oath. After the oath, a prayer was said and candles representing the 12 laws of Scouting were lit. A video was played showcasing the Scouts past year’s activities. The five Scouts being promoted to Eagle Scout were introduced one at a time along with their parents.
“It is really cool to have my family here to see me get my new rank and badges,” said Marine.
Marine reached the highest BSA rank in just three years. The minimum age requirement to join the BSA is 10. When a boy first joins the Boy Scouts, he is given the lowest rank, Scout. In order to advance in ranks, a Scout must meet all time-in-rank requirements for the next rank, and the Scout must meet all merit badge requirements for the next rank. Merit badges are earned by performing basic Scouting skills such as knot tying, camping and navigation.
“Going up through the ranks was really fun. I learned to do things that have helped me a lot in life,” said McDermott.
Scouts advance to the ranks of Tenderfoot, second class, first class, Star and Life Scout. When a scout picks up the rank of Life Scout, has a total of 21 merit badges and the seven required Eagle Scout merit badges, he must do a project to reach the rank of Eagle Scout. An Eagle Scout project benefits the community in some way for an extended period of time.
The BSA was founded Feb. 8, 1910 and has adopted, as its mission, to instill ethical and moral values in all its members. Troop 77 was established in 1953. According to www.scouting. org, the BSA’s website, more than 110 million Americans have participated in the BSA since 1910.
For more information about future events or participating in the Boy Scouts Far East Council, contact Brenda Wentling, Troop 77 committee chair, at 253-3505. For more information about participating in Girl Scouts call 253-3035.