Local Scouts earn Eagles

Mar. 2—Since its inception, Boy Scouts of America has admitted 125 million young men into the program. Of those, only 2% have achieved their highest rank, Eagle Scout. Lebanon's Troop 293 just shattered those odds, promoting four of their 11 members to Eagle.

"This is an incredibly rare event. Having four Eagles from the same Troop is pretty much unheard of. But that's a testament to Troop 293 and our scouts," said Scoutmaster Karl Lehtola.

The four newest Eagle Scouts are Dan Burruss of Lebanon, J.T. Driver of Watertown, Preston Olivier of Mt. Juliet and Jacob Lehtola of Lebanon.

Last year's ceremony was postponed as COVID spread through U.S. For one of the Scouts, the coronavirus almost cost him his Eagle. After a positive test led to quarantine, Olivier was forced to complete his Eagle Scout board review virtually. Despite this setback, he passed with flying colors.

The board review is the final step before becoming an Eagle Scout, but to get there requires a lot of work. It takes a minimum of 21 merit badges, with an additional 6 months served in a leadership position.

Aspiring Eagle Scouts must also complete an Eagle service project. For example, Olivier identified a storage shortage in his school's band room. He proposed redesigning the storage more efficiently and then set out to construct the new shelving on his own.

The last step is to attend a scoutmaster conference and pass the board of review.

The official Court of Honor was held Saturday at College Hill Church of Christ, Troop 293's headquarters.

In attendance were the Scouts' friends and families. Many in the audience were former Scouts themselves, including several Eagle Scouts. State Sen. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, served as the keynote speaker.

Each Scout got the chance to thank their supporters and share a little bit about what Boy Scouts had meant to them.

For Burruss, becoming an Eagle Scout is in his genes. His father and uncle were both Eagles. So were his two older brothers, grandfather and multiple cousins. Burruss' father, Louis, said, "I'm super proud of Dan. Scouting is a journey that has benefited him and prepared him for life's challenges."

Dan is an accomplished athlete. He plays football and basketball at the Friendship Christian School. He used the rope-climbing badge as a way to conquer his fear of heights.

Olivier moved to Wilson County a few years ago. The New Orleans native plays piano and percussion in the school band and plans to go to law school after college.

He said while all the merit badges are worthwhile, the communications badge was the one he's most proud to have achieved. "Effective leadership requires effective communication. We can't expect to lead, if we can't communicate properly."

Driver is a freshman at Nashville State Community College. He is studying electrical engineering. Driver said he owes a lot of the person he is to his time in Scouts.

Lehtola did not attend the event. He is the son of Scoutmaster Karl Lehtola. Karl Lehtola said Jacob opted not to be there for personal reasons, but as a member of Troop 293, it was important he be recognized with his fellow peers.

When the previous scoutmaster resigned in 2018, Troop 293 went leaderless for a short time. Lehtola said he felt a calling to take up the leadership position. Since that time, Lehtola said he's been "constantly impressed by the Scouts' work ethic and their commitment to becoming better leaders."

The relationship seemed mutually beneficial. Each Scout praised Lehtola's help and mentorship as scoutmaster, honoring him with mentor pins. Mentor pins are one way Eagle Scouts recognize people who helped them. In his speech, Driver said, "If we were able to give a pin to everyone who helped us, they'd be stacked to the rafters."

Additionally, Olivier, Burruss and Driver each used their mentor pins to honor their parents.

Lehtola said during his speech, "There are two kinds of parents. Those who drop their kids off, and those who come inside."

Lehtola said that Oliver, Burruss and Driver were sons of the latter. For instance, Olivier's father, Dr. Andre Olivier, is an assistant scoutmaster with Troop 293. During Burruss' speech, he specifically thanked "Doc," for patching him up on so many Scout trips.