Below is the story we released to the local newspaper for publication in tomorrow's Turret here on Fort Knox.  Andre II (my 13-year old son) did a great job on his Boy Scout Eagle Project this past weekend, and the community came out in large numbers to enjoy the community service with him.  Here is the story for your reading pleasure.  It is what Army Dads do when they love their children and want them to grow up to be better men than themselves; we teach and mentor them to serve by giving them our time, our affection, our counsel, our lives.

This past Saturday, while most of us were just slipping out of bed to start our Saturday chores, a local 8th grader at Knox’s Scott Middle School, was organizing over 50 volunteers to help beautify our local Camp Carlson Recreation Area by blazing a comfortable foot path around the steep back side of Lake Carlson.

André Dean II is a Life Scout in his local Boy Scouts of America Troop 667, and he is working to earn the highest rank in scouting, the rank of Eagle. To earn this rank he must plan, organize and lead a community service project approved by the local BSA council which makes a substantial contribution to his community, on top of many years of scouting including numerous campouts, other lesser service projects, many skills developed in earning multiple merit badges and learning to live by and adhere to the Scout Oath (“on my honor”), the Scout Law (“a Scout is trustworthy, loyal…”), the Scout Motto (“be prepared”) and the Scout Slogan (“do a good turn daily”).

“Although he is but 13 years old”, his father and Assistant Scoutmaster Lt. Col. Andre Dean said, “André was ready to take on this large project because he had seen and helped his two older brothers lead large community projects in two previous cities when they had stepped up to earn the rank of Eagle by serving their communities. He has completed all other requirements for advancement to this highest rank, but the project is always the hardest part as it takes a lot of leadership that most boys in their early teens are not prepared to deliver.”

Explaining how André came up with his plan to do this project, André II said, “My family and I went camping at Camp Carlson back in November and we loved the beauty of the camp. We decided we would take a hike all the way around the lake, but found out that there was no path around the back side, just a broken goat –path and some very steep slopes that were hard to cross and dangerous for my mom and little brothers”.

“As I was crawling over fallen trees and then moving slowly on my hands and knees to get past some slippery places on that back slope of the lake, I told my Dad that I was thinking maybe we could make a really good path there so lots of young and elderly people could also make this hike. My Dad asked me if I wanted to organize a path-blazing work party for my Eagle Project. When he said that, I knew he was saying what I was thinking, and told him I thought it would make a great project for me.”

With that plan in mind André jumped on the preparation. His first step was to meet with several different offices on Fort Knox, to get permission to blaze the path. Once he had met with all the key people and had received an official letter approving the community service project from Fort Knox, he was on his way, writing out his 11-page work project plan in the official workbook planner, and then submitted it to his scoutmaster, then on to his scout committee, then on to the district scout committee for approval.

After one re-write of his project proposal to include more details on safety and first aid, the project was approved and André set the date for March 20th. For the two weeks preceding the project André recruited his brothers and sisters to help him pass out invitations at church, in school and in the Fort Knox community to come help with the project.

Each person who volunteered had to sign a Hold Harmless Agreement and come up with a pick-axe, shovel, rake, hoe, axe, machete and gloves, and set aside about 6 hours of their Saturday to come follow André’s plan and marked path.

Saturday the 20th was a gorgeous day, and 51 people showed up to volunteer their Saturday morning to help André to improve their community.

“It was a lot harder work cutting that path in some places than I had thought it would be” , said André. Some strong men swing those heavy pick-axes again and again. But it was a great project, as everyone who helped absolutely loved the beauty of the place and they all knew they were making something that would give lots of joy to their fellow soldiers and community over many years to come.”

André recorded over 214 hours of volunteered labor Saturday on his project, and he has put in over 12 hours of his own preparation time in planning and preparing the project. He should have his Eagle Board of Review in the next 4 weeks to validate his credentials and determine if this project and his leadership of it, and all his other mandatory prerequisites are sufficient to award him the coveted rank of Eagle. If approved, he should have his Eagle Court of Honor in early May, just before his graduation from Scott Middle School on into Fort Knox High School, making him the 4th Eagle Scout in the family, as his father became an Eagle in 1974.

André is currently on the high school wrestling team and a pole vaulter on the track team. His parents are André and Dianne Dean who live here on Fort Knox. He has two sisters and four brothers still at home with him, with older siblings already off to college or married. He loves to read, and currently has 961 accelerated reader points at Scott Middle School.

(See attached photo: photo is Andre Dean II in his scout uniform with multiple volunteers in the background working to cut the trail on the back side of Lake Carlson Saturday March 20, 2010. Many boys worked alongside their fathers to complete the path, which now is complete from the dam to the bridge at the Bat Cave.)