Sigonella Youth Completes Eagle Scout Project

By MC1 Kegan E. Kay, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

What happens to flags that need to be retired? Thanks to Andrew Wicker and Scouts BSA, Sigonella not only has a new, streamlined system, but also a way for the public to learn more about the symbolic process.

Naval Air Station Sigonella is host to two Scouts BSA Troops as part of the Transatlantic Council (TAC) of the Boy Scouts of America:Troop 53B, an all-boys troop, and Troop 53G, an all-girls troop. Troop member Andrew Wicker, 14, recently created a flag retirement room as part of therigorous process of becoming an Eagle Scout.

According to the BSA website (scouting.org) only four percent of all scouts earn the title of Eagle Scout, and to even achieve the rank an individual must; 1) be active in their troop for a least six months as a Life Scout, 2) demonstrate Scout Spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law, 3)earn a total of 21 merit badges, 4) serve actively and in a position of responsibility for their troop for at least six months, 5) plan, develop and give leadership to others with an approved service project, 6) participate in a scoutmaster conference, and 7) successfully complete a board of review.

For a majority of Eagle Scouts, their service project can be the most difficult requirement and the most time consuming.

According to the BSA website, the service project requires the scout to “plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project must benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America.) A project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and unit committee, and the council or district before you start.”

Wicker spoke to other Eagle Scouts during a leadership conference about their projects, and after receiving a suggestion, doing research and finding an actual need in the Sigonella community, he created a plan to set up flag retirement collection benches, as well as a dedicated flag retirement room.

With the help of a few fellow scouts, Andrew repurposed and built two benches. One bench, painted red, white and blue to draw attention, is located on NAS 1, inside Midtown near the movie theater and ATM machine.

The second is located in the newly created flag retirement room, located at the entrance of the public works building on NAS 2.The room hosts not only the bench, but also a history of the American flag and information regarding retiring the flag based on the United States Flag Code.

Commands or individuals may leave the flags inside the benches, and Scouts BSA Troop 53 will retire the flags during the troops’ periodic flag retirement ceremony.

With his service project completed, Andrew sat his Eagle review board on June 24 as part of his final requirement to make Eagle Scout.

“My earlier border reviews were mostly about knowledge and memorization and how to tie knots and how to do first aid,” explained Andrew. “But my Eagle Board review was more of ‘if a Scout is having a bad time on a camp out, how would you help them?’ and talking about leadership and my experiences. It was difficult, but I feel like I've prepared for the worst, so I didn't have it as hard as I expected, but I still think it involves some studying, and it involves a lot of thinking through answers.”

Former Scoutmaster for Troop 53, John Morgan stated, “The biggest thing that I would say is we allow them to fail and give them that safe space to fail so that they understand how to pick themselves back up as well as learn from their mistakes.”

Morgan’s son, Jesiah Morris, 18, will also begin testing his Eagle Scout service project, an underwater navigation certification course for petty divers, now that Sicily has lifted some of their lockdown restrictions and beaches have opened up.

Once his project is completed, Jesiah will sit his Eagle board and when successful, he and Andrew will have their “Court of Honor,” a formal troop ceremony in which both will be bestowed the Eagle Scout rank.

The TAC-BSA website (tac-bsa.org) states, “Scouting is the ultimate form of learning by doing. Scouts explore their interests and improve their skills while working toward Scouting’s highest rank: Eagle. By first imagining, planning then doing their own service projects, Scouts learn the value of hard work, and experience the thrill of seeing it pay off. Add in outdoor adventures, hiking and camping, and Scouting gives kids all the experience they need to become adults.

For anyone wanting to join Scouts BSA Troop 53 or to volunteer with the troop, contact sigonella.scouts.troop53@gmail.com.