I was a Boy Scout leader for seventeen years. I have been fortunate to know so many good children. I watched them grow and in return received their affections and earned their respect. Many have earned my respect, some my admiration yet a few I'm not worthy to walk in the dust of their hiking boots. T Bone never got to wear hiking boots yet he was the greatest Boy Scout I've ever known and today he soars as an Eagle!
I was nearing the end of my tenure when he entered our Troop. There were thirty five boys from every race religion and creed in our Troop. Some had minor physical handi caps and two had mental/learning disabilities yet the boys welcomed all. They felt nobody should be left out and we were a "Troop". One night a man brought his son to our meeting. He was very apprehensive as he entered the room. We let him observe the games for a while before we approached him and the boys made the first contact. They asked his son Anthony to join in but he declined stating he wasn't strong enough. Yet there he stood his eye's gleaming and a heart warming smile on his big round face. Anthony had been battling cancer since he was a baby. His hair was thin from Chemo and he was holding a cane. A since of relief came to the Senior Patrol Leaders's face as he shouted "COOL, we need an impartial ref, lets go!"
His dad's apprehension was dispelled as he watch the boys interact. As we spoke he explained his fears that he son won't be accepted and couldn't fit in with an active group of boys. Anthony was very weak and his immune system compromised from his treatment yet he had a dream. He wanted to be a Boy Scout! Through the weeks they would show up at the meetings, his father astonished with the Troops acceptance of his son and the boy's eagerness to find ways for Anthony to not only fit in but participate in the functions, skills and games.
His health took bad turn and Anthony was hospitalized. A few weeks past and it was time for the Scout's Court of Honor. It's a ceremony that is conducted in candle light that has been past down in this troop for decades. Boys are awarded the rank and merit badges they've earned and new members are formally welcomed into the troop. Everyone knew Anthony was in the hospital that night and wouldn't be able to attend, or so we thought. As the lights were turned out and the first candles lit. The call was made for the new inductees to enter. There sat Anthony in a wheel chair. His father had brought him from the hospital and would return him there that night but he had to be here. He want to be a Boy Scout! The SPL blind folded him and was going to push him down the isle but Anthony would have none of it. He struggled to his feet and took the arm of his escort and walked down the isle like the other Scouts that night. All inductees are blind folded before they walk down the isle for the first time to symbolize that you'll never walk the Scouting trail alone, it takes the help of your fellow Scouts. He was inducted into the troop that night and was given the name of T-Bone. He never walk alone again and his supporting cast was astonishing.
During one meeting as the boys were busy his dad spoke with the adult leaders. He was so proud to be a part of all this and his son was so happy to have fulfilled his dream but like many dreams it had expanded and he didn't have the heart to tell Anthony he couldn't acheave the next step. T Bone want to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. I was dumbfounded as my brain raced through the years of training I had received. Scouting is for every boy and one of our mottos "Do you best" is an individual goal that only you can achieve. My mind snapped back into the conversation as I retorted "What do you mean he can't make it?" I explained how the program is flexable and can be modified to meet the needs of the boy while still challenging them. The Scout Master started digging through our files for the forms and publications while another got phone numbers for the local council and Nation Council in Texas. Anthony was never told he couldn't do it.
As the years went by I moved on to make room for my son. The boy he nicknamed T Bone continued to battle for his life and to achieve his goal. Now being a Boy Scout wasn't enough. His dad, medical team, and both councils had developed a program for him that was physically and mentally challenging and that would fulfill the requirements of Eagle Scout!
On May 19, 2008, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America awarded Anthony the rank of Eagle Scout!
On May 22, 2008, an Eagle known as T Bone soared into heaven having achieved his life's goal.
Scout Vespers
Softly falls the light of day
as our campfire fades away.
Silently each Scout should ask
Have I done my daily task?
Have I kept my honor bright?
Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
Have I done and have I dared
everything to be prepared?
Taps (We end every meeting this way)
Day is done, gone the sun
from the lakes, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nie.
May the Great Master of all true Scouts be with you til we meet again!
Good kids don't make news....They make a difference!
