Young men from across Missouri joined together inside the Capitol rotunda Monday to celebrate a commonality among them - earning the rank of Eagle Scout. The scouts - 240 of them - were honored during the annual Missouri Eagle Scout Recognition Day.
Last year, 1,408 Boy Scouts achieved the organization's highest ranking, totaling to more than 39,000 merit badges earned and 221,000 hours spent on Eagle service projects. Robert M. Robuck, former president of the Great Rivers Council Boy Scouts of America, said five percent of all scouts go on to become Eagle Scouts.
One of the Eagle Scouts honored was Gregory Schroeter, 18, of California.
Reflecting on his seven years as a scout, Schroeter said a highlight was a 10-day hiking trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.
There, he learned spark-pole climbing - an old technique used by loggers to hike up trees. To earn the Eagle Scout ranking, scouts must complete a project. Using paving stones, Schroeter built a large rosary on a plot of unused land at his church, Annunciation Catholic.
Through his experience as a scout, Schroeter said he understood the value of leadership.
"Learning how to be a leader is a trait you don't get many places," he said. "It's really nice to be able to show you can lead before you're expected to."
Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, said the leadership he learned through Boy Scouts came into play when he was a Marine. Unexpectedly, Webber became the squad leader of his group while serving in one of Iraq's most dangerous cities, he said during the ceremony.
"I believe those experiences I had in Boy Scouts were as important as anything else in allowing me to step up, meet that challenge, and keep myself alive and keep my fellow Marines alive," Webber said. "I give Boy Scouts a tremendous amount of credit for me being able to step up at that moment and become a leader."
In 1969, Gov. Jay Nixon earned his Eagle Scout badge. He spoke for the final time as governor to the new Eagle Scouts and the nearly 500 family members and loved ones there to witness the ceremony. Nixon said the Eagle Scouts developed their most significant achievement during their quest for Eagle Scout honors - high character.
"That character will service you as you, in turn, serve others," he said. "Character is really hard to explain, but really easy to see; really difficult to form, but a pattern that, once you have, never escapes you."
Now an Eagle Scout, 18-year-old Nick Robinson, of Linn, said he will have higher expectations from himself and others whether or not he is in uniform. Robinson, who was a scout for 11 years, said he plans to always remember the scout motto - be prepared.
"There are different things to live by too, like the scout law and the scout oath," he said. "All of those things have key points that in life you can look back upon and remember and base your life off of those."