South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

Four Troop 25 Scouts earn Eagle rank

Four young men from Boy Scout Troop 25, chartered to the Truman Elementary School Parent-Teachers’ Group, recently earned the highest award in Scouting, the Eagle Scout Award.

Frederick J. Reineke, Jeffrey L. Brown, Geoffrey D. Vandiver and David J. Finkenkeller represent the 120th through 123rd Eagle Scouts in the troop.

Troop 25’s motto, displayed on each Scout’s neckerchief is “Home of Eagles.”

Not only is this a great honor because less than 2 percent of boys who join Scouting earn the Eagle Scout award, but it is unusual that four boys earned the award so close together, according to a news release.

Reineke earned his Eagle Dec. 19. He earned 27 Merit Badges, and served the troop as senior patrol leader and assistant senior patrol leader.

He earned the 150 Nights Camping Award, and has canoed 73 miles and hiked 180 miles as a Scout.

Reineke’s high-adventure trips included sailing in the Florida Keys, backpacking in New Mexico, canoeing the Missouri River in South Dakota and sailing on Kentucky Lake.

Brown earned his Eagle Jan. 9. He earned 23 Merit Badges, and served as assistant senior patrol leader, quartermaster and troop guide.

He canoed more than 80 miles as a Scout. Brown’s high-adventure experiences included sailing on Kentucky Lake and canoeing in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota.

Vandiver earned his Eagle Jan. 10. He earned 26 Merit Badges, served as senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader and Instructor.

He has received the 150 Nights Camping Award. Vandiver has canoed 73 miles and hiked 170 miles as a Scout, and has been sailing in the Florida Keys, backpacking in New Mexico, canoeing the Missouri River in North Dakota and sailing on Kentucky Lake. This summer, Vandiver will be a staff member at Double H Ranch, a high-adventure backpacking experience operated by the Boy Scouts in western New Mexico.

Finkenkeller earned his Eagle Feb. 23. He earned 33 Merit Badges, and served the troop as photographer, chaplain aide and Order of the Arrow representative.

Finkenkeller earned the 100 Nights Camping Award, the Beyond Brotherhood Silver Award in the Order of the Arrow and has canoed 123 miles and hiked 110 miles as a Scout. His high-adventure trips included sailing in the Florida Keys, backpacking in New Mexico, canoeing the Missouri River in North Dakota, sailing on Kentucky Lake and canoeing in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota.

The four Scouts attend Lindbergh High School. They are all members of the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scout national camping honor society and have been active members of the Troop’s Ordeal ceremonial team.

To earn the Eagle award, each Scout had to conceive, plan, and execute a service project demonstrating their planning and leadership skills, and providing service to the community. Organizations benefiting from their projects included the Wild Bird Sanctuary, Barrett School in the Parkway School District, St. Thomas/Holy Spirit Lutheran Church and Angels’ Arms

Each Eagle Scout’s name has been added to a plaque of Eagle Scout recipients that is on display in the troop’s trophy case at Truman Elementary School in the Lindbergh School District.