Rep. Mike Thompson Speaks At Boy Scouts Summit on Eagle Scout's 100-Year Anniversary
July 13, 2012
Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-1) today spoke at a Boy Scouts Summit on the on Eagle Scout's 100-Year Anniversary.
Please find Thompson's remarks as prepared for delivery below:
Thank you. Let's give a hand to all the past and present Scouts here today. Also, how about Scout parents? Let's give them hand. Scouting is a family commitment.
Nowhere is that more clear then with the family I met this week in Washington - the LeRoys. Stephan is an Eagle Scout. His dad is an Eagle Scout. And, his twin brother is an Eagle Scout. But whether you have 1 scout in the family or 3, it takes a commitment of support.
2012 marks an important milestone for the Boy Scouts of America. 100 years ago, in 1912 a young man from Brooklyn, New York named of Arthur Eldred was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. He was the first person to ever receive this recognition.
Now, as we mark the Eagle Scouts 100-year anniversary, more than 2 million scouts have earned this coveted rank. It is truly a high-honor. Fewer than 4 percent of scouts earn the distinction.
I work with many Eagle Scouts on a daily basis. 29 Members of Congress are Eagle Scouts. This is a pretty impressive number when you consider that only 17 Members of Congress are doctors. Less than 30 are farmers and ranchers. And, only 4 are Peace Corps Volunteers.
Throughout this past century, Eagle Scouts have been impressive and gone on to become Olympians, surgeons, civil rights leaders, Pulitzer Prize winners, captains of industry and business, and Congressman and Senators. Many are household names:
- Before Gerald Ford was President of the United States, he was an Eagle Scout.
- Before Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart, he was an Eagle Scout.
- Before Robert Gates was Secretary of Defense, he was an Eagle Scout.
- Before James Lovell captained Apollo 13, he was an Eagle Scout.
These are names we've heard in the news or learned about in school. But it's also important to remember the tens of thousands of Eagle Scouts who've made enormous contributions but aren't in the history books. One of those names that I'll never forget is the young man I mentioned before - Stefan LeRoy.
I met him Wednesday at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC.
Private First Class Stefan LeRoy is an Eagle Scout who grew up in Santa Rosa. He went to Maria Carrillo High, enrolled at Cal Ploy and became active in their ROTC program. After his freshman year he made the decision to serve his country and become a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. He was stationed in Kandahar.
On June 7th while on patrol, his unit was struck by an IED. After the initial blast, Stefan saw a young father from Georgia being carried on a stretcher to a helicopter. He knew his fellow soldier needed help. And so, even knowing that IEDs were in the area, he rushed over his side.
He lost both his legs in an attempt to help that young father from Georgia.
There is a quote I read from Stefan in our local paper that really epitomizes his character. “You're not going to stop doing something because there might be an IED out there,” Stephen said. “You have to do what you have to do to help your buddies.”
This is the character of an Eagle Scout.
I asked Stefan what he wanted me to tell you today. First, he said to tell you he says hi. He also said to tell you that Eagle Scouts prepared him better than anything else for what he does, and what he's gone through. He said, “Army training was good, but Eagle Scout training was better.”
For scouts, being awarded the rank of Eagle Scout marks the achievement of a major goal.
And for most, it is one of the first steps to what Robert Gates once called “the most important goal of all: becoming a good man - a man of integrity and decency, a man of moral courage, a man unafraid of hard work, a man of strong character - the kind of person who built this country and made it into the greatest democracy and the greatest economic powerhouse in the history of the world.”
The fate of our nation, and the fate of the free world, depends in large part on the kinds of leaders our young people prove to be.
At a time when our nation faces enormous challenges both at home and overseas, we need leaders with the kind of moral compass that's instilled through the Scouts.
Eagle Scouts know how to meet challenges and overcome obstacles. Every single Eagle Scout is required to earn merit badges for first aid, camping, personal fitness, emergency preparedness or lifesaving, swimming, hiking or cycling.
Eagle Scouts know the importance of community service and civic engagement. Every Eagle Scout must plan, organize, lead, manage and complete a service project that benefits an organization outside of the Boy Scouts - and they have to do it before their 18th birthday. This is important to a young man's journey to becoming an Eagle Scout, and it's also important to our communities. Last year alone, Eagle Scout projects represented nearly 7 million hours of community service. Every one of those hours benefited a community.
And finally, Eagle Scouts are prepared to live lives of high, moral character. They are required to earn merit badges for Citizenship in the Community, Nation and World. Eagle Scouts volunteer, donate to charities, vote and work with others to better their community. They embody and develop lifelong values - values such as duty, loyalty, honor, kindness and respect. They share the values with others. They are mentors and role models.
So, Eagle Scouts are men who know how to meet challenges, men who know the importance of helping others, men of strong moral character.
They are men like Private First Class Stefan LeRoy who put his own well being aside, and rushed to a friend and soldier's side.
They are men like Neal Armstrong whose one giant step for mankind captivated the imagination of our nation.
Men like Steven Spielberg, who not only won three Academy Awards but also used his talent to direct movies that addressed difficult historical subjects such as the Holocaust, slavery and war. His movies catapulted these events into our national conscience, educated us on the past and provided our nation and the world with a forum for moral contemplation. His work spurred conversation and consideration about where we've been - and where we go.
Men like Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer who is a strong and consistent voice for our constitution and founding values.
Men like Earnest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine. Three years after Brown v. Board of Education integrated public schools, the governor of Arkansas still refused to let African Americans into Little Rock Central High School. It took the 101st Airborne and President Eisenhower to get the Little Rock Nine trough the school house doors. It wasn't safe and it wasn't made easy, but in 1958 Eagle Scout Earnest Green became the first black student to graduate from Little Rock Central High.
They are men like Army Staff Sgt. Jesse Lawrence Williams.
Jesse, whose father Herb I mentioned earlier, gave his life in service to our country while serving in Iraq. He received a Purple Heart, and he single-handedly pulled two fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle, earning him a Bronze Star.
They are the kind of people our nation needs leading our businesses, communities and country. Let's give them our support. It's an investment that will pay off.
Thank you.
Please find Thompson's remarks as prepared for delivery below:
Thank you. Let's give a hand to all the past and present Scouts here today. Also, how about Scout parents? Let's give them hand. Scouting is a family commitment.
Nowhere is that more clear then with the family I met this week in Washington - the LeRoys. Stephan is an Eagle Scout. His dad is an Eagle Scout. And, his twin brother is an Eagle Scout. But whether you have 1 scout in the family or 3, it takes a commitment of support.
2012 marks an important milestone for the Boy Scouts of America. 100 years ago, in 1912 a young man from Brooklyn, New York named of Arthur Eldred was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. He was the first person to ever receive this recognition.
Now, as we mark the Eagle Scouts 100-year anniversary, more than 2 million scouts have earned this coveted rank. It is truly a high-honor. Fewer than 4 percent of scouts earn the distinction.
I work with many Eagle Scouts on a daily basis. 29 Members of Congress are Eagle Scouts. This is a pretty impressive number when you consider that only 17 Members of Congress are doctors. Less than 30 are farmers and ranchers. And, only 4 are Peace Corps Volunteers.
Throughout this past century, Eagle Scouts have been impressive and gone on to become Olympians, surgeons, civil rights leaders, Pulitzer Prize winners, captains of industry and business, and Congressman and Senators. Many are household names:
- Before Gerald Ford was President of the United States, he was an Eagle Scout.
- Before Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart, he was an Eagle Scout.
- Before Robert Gates was Secretary of Defense, he was an Eagle Scout.
- Before James Lovell captained Apollo 13, he was an Eagle Scout.
These are names we've heard in the news or learned about in school. But it's also important to remember the tens of thousands of Eagle Scouts who've made enormous contributions but aren't in the history books. One of those names that I'll never forget is the young man I mentioned before - Stefan LeRoy.
I met him Wednesday at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC.
Private First Class Stefan LeRoy is an Eagle Scout who grew up in Santa Rosa. He went to Maria Carrillo High, enrolled at Cal Ploy and became active in their ROTC program. After his freshman year he made the decision to serve his country and become a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. He was stationed in Kandahar.
On June 7th while on patrol, his unit was struck by an IED. After the initial blast, Stefan saw a young father from Georgia being carried on a stretcher to a helicopter. He knew his fellow soldier needed help. And so, even knowing that IEDs were in the area, he rushed over his side.
He lost both his legs in an attempt to help that young father from Georgia.
There is a quote I read from Stefan in our local paper that really epitomizes his character. “You're not going to stop doing something because there might be an IED out there,” Stephen said. “You have to do what you have to do to help your buddies.”
This is the character of an Eagle Scout.
I asked Stefan what he wanted me to tell you today. First, he said to tell you he says hi. He also said to tell you that Eagle Scouts prepared him better than anything else for what he does, and what he's gone through. He said, “Army training was good, but Eagle Scout training was better.”
For scouts, being awarded the rank of Eagle Scout marks the achievement of a major goal.
And for most, it is one of the first steps to what Robert Gates once called “the most important goal of all: becoming a good man - a man of integrity and decency, a man of moral courage, a man unafraid of hard work, a man of strong character - the kind of person who built this country and made it into the greatest democracy and the greatest economic powerhouse in the history of the world.”
The fate of our nation, and the fate of the free world, depends in large part on the kinds of leaders our young people prove to be.
At a time when our nation faces enormous challenges both at home and overseas, we need leaders with the kind of moral compass that's instilled through the Scouts.
Eagle Scouts know how to meet challenges and overcome obstacles. Every single Eagle Scout is required to earn merit badges for first aid, camping, personal fitness, emergency preparedness or lifesaving, swimming, hiking or cycling.
Eagle Scouts know the importance of community service and civic engagement. Every Eagle Scout must plan, organize, lead, manage and complete a service project that benefits an organization outside of the Boy Scouts - and they have to do it before their 18th birthday. This is important to a young man's journey to becoming an Eagle Scout, and it's also important to our communities. Last year alone, Eagle Scout projects represented nearly 7 million hours of community service. Every one of those hours benefited a community.
And finally, Eagle Scouts are prepared to live lives of high, moral character. They are required to earn merit badges for Citizenship in the Community, Nation and World. Eagle Scouts volunteer, donate to charities, vote and work with others to better their community. They embody and develop lifelong values - values such as duty, loyalty, honor, kindness and respect. They share the values with others. They are mentors and role models.
So, Eagle Scouts are men who know how to meet challenges, men who know the importance of helping others, men of strong moral character.
They are men like Private First Class Stefan LeRoy who put his own well being aside, and rushed to a friend and soldier's side.
They are men like Neal Armstrong whose one giant step for mankind captivated the imagination of our nation.
Men like Steven Spielberg, who not only won three Academy Awards but also used his talent to direct movies that addressed difficult historical subjects such as the Holocaust, slavery and war. His movies catapulted these events into our national conscience, educated us on the past and provided our nation and the world with a forum for moral contemplation. His work spurred conversation and consideration about where we've been - and where we go.
Men like Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer who is a strong and consistent voice for our constitution and founding values.
Men like Earnest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine. Three years after Brown v. Board of Education integrated public schools, the governor of Arkansas still refused to let African Americans into Little Rock Central High School. It took the 101st Airborne and President Eisenhower to get the Little Rock Nine trough the school house doors. It wasn't safe and it wasn't made easy, but in 1958 Eagle Scout Earnest Green became the first black student to graduate from Little Rock Central High.
They are men like Army Staff Sgt. Jesse Lawrence Williams.
Jesse, whose father Herb I mentioned earlier, gave his life in service to our country while serving in Iraq. He received a Purple Heart, and he single-handedly pulled two fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle, earning him a Bronze Star.
They are the kind of people our nation needs leading our businesses, communities and country. Let's give them our support. It's an investment that will pay off.
Thank you.
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