This week my son Tyler reached the pinnacle of Boy Scouting, the rank of Eagle Scout. My wife and I are very proud as you can imagine.

Tyler is the first Scout to achieve his Eagle rank in 2017 in Caddo Area Council, completing his Eagle Board of Review on Monday night, and is the first Eagle in Troop 3 in about three years or so. There are several more Scouts becoming eligible though, and all of those young men make the parents and leaders of Troop 3 very proud.

Advice to the younger Scouts: Stay with it and don't lose focus. Work toward your Eagle rank, go to summer camp, work on those merit badges, raise funds for your troop and council, get out and perform service projects and service to others in your community. You will learn many things and help many people along the way. You will learn who you are and maybe who you want to be.

Don't let anything push you off course. Set your goals. And put one (tender)foot in front of the other. Get there.

Remember to show honor and respect to your parents and leaders. They have already proven that they want you to be successful in life because they are there week after week helping you learn. Remember, they aren’t paid a dime, so what's their motivation?

You.

Eagle Scout is the one thing from Scouting that you can put on your resume and carry with you the rest of your life. It sets you apart from others and opens doors. It is absolutely worth the effort, and an effort it will be.

Is Tyler done with Scouting? No way. He has many more years of Scouting adventures in Troop 3 and Venture Crew 3, Order of the Arrow Lodge 232, staffing at camp Pioneer, teaching at National Youth Leadership Training, and who knows what else - maybe even attend Philmont, Northern Tier or one of the Sea Bases. There are a lifetime of benefits in Scouting.

Tyler is well on his way and you can do it, too. Like most things in life -- school, work, or sports, Scouting will give back what you put into it. Like my father always told me, "That ain't no hill for a stepper," so get to stepping, and good luck."

Today is the Boy Scouts of America's 107 birthday and very soon Troop 3 will be celebrating its 100th continuous year as a Troop in Texarkana. If you would like to find out where a Troop or Pack is meeting in your area, contact the Caddo Area Council at 903-793-2179.

Well done, Tyler.

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