Despite the odds, three Boy Scouts from the same patrol in Troop 583 in Castaic all succeeded in attaining the high rank of Eagle Scout together last month.
Four percent of boys in any Scout troop reach the rank of Eagle, said Jeff Morreale, patrol advisor and father to one of the three boys, Justin. While the troop regularly has Eagle projects held throughout the year, having them all within a short time span and from the same patrol is not common, he said.
“In our troop, I don’t think it’s ever happened,” he said. “And that’s the whole patrol right there. They stuck it out and stuck together, and they earned it all in the same night.”
Justin Morreale, Jacob Morse and Connor Duncanson make up the Flaming Tacos patrol in their troop. Each boy reached the point of progression in the youth program where they needed to complete a community service project, or Eagle project, in order to get that much closer to the rank.
Their respective projects began in August, when Duncanson rebuilt the sports field complex at LARC Ranch. Morse rebuilt and replaced the outdoor area of the outdoor nature center and children education center at Vasquez Rocks in September, and Morreale tore out and replaced the deteriorated fencing at Valley Trails Ranch in Castaic in October.
The boys completed their board of review on Feb. 14, finally accomplishing their goal. Morse, 17, and Morreale, 17, both look forward to graduating from high school and going to college, while Duncanson, 16, still has one more year left in high school.
“Boy Scouts may not have taught me much that relates to my specific major, but I feel that it succeeded in making me a much more well-rounded person that is more likely able to relate with people who may have different interests than I do,” Morse said. “I’m positive that the leadership and teamwork skills I’ve learned in scouting will be helpful in any field I enter.”
Jeff also noted that his son is deaf, but that hasn’t stopped him from fundraising and leading other boys during his time in the program.
“It’s impressive to be able to do all this stuff and have that handicap,” he said. “To be able to earn the Eagle and do that. It’s never held him back at all in his life.”
