Eagle Court of Honor

An Eagle Scout!

By Trooper Ron Jones

What goes into making an Eagle Scout? Take two heaping cups of a father’s guidance and a mother’s love. Add in, support from his family, his school and his community. Mix in a Scout Master’s leadership with the right amount of goals to help the scout learn responsibility, planning, and organizational skills and then reinforce, in him, a strong belief in God and Country. Wrap all of this with the twelve points of the Scout’s Law: A Scout is – Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. Lastly, since a man is only as good as his word, ask him to take the following oath:

“On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”

Simmer over time with patience, tolerance, love and understanding. If you did everything just right, you might end up with an Eagle Scout. The worst thing that can happen... you’ll end up with a well-rounded young man.

It is a rare individual who has the dedication, the drive and the work ethic necessary to become an Eagle Scout. We, (members of the Los Angeles Chapter, of the 9th & 10th Horse Cavalry Association) had the distinct honor and privilege to be among the many VIP guests who were present at an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony for Matthew T. Seymour, as he received the Eagle Scout - Badge and Medal.

Clifford and Varnessa Seymour got it right when it came to their son Matthew. They deserve to be very proud of their son and his accomplishment. But when you know that Matthew’s grandfather is Trooper Andrew Aaron, one of the last of the surviving WWII Buffalo Soldiers, you almost want to say, ...should we expect anything less!

The next time you see a Scout, please, give him some words of encouragement. 

Congratulations, Matthew! You and young men like you, give me a positive feeling about our future.

There was one other thing that I wanted to mention about the Boy Scouts. If you want to know what kind of a man a Boy Scout grows up to be, you don’t have to look any further than to the men in our own organization. Here are just a few: Trooper Andrew Isaacs - Boy Scout, Trooper Bobby McDonald - Boy Scout, Trooper Andrew Aaron - Boy Scout, Trooper Lennister Williams - Boy Scout, Trooper Fred Cartha - Boy Scout and my father, Trooper Frederick Douglass Jones was a Boy Scout. A childhood friend of my father’s and also a Boy Scout was John Fox. On December 26th 1944, in Italy, Lieutenant Fox (92nd INF. DIV.) was 29 years old when he called artillery fire on his own position that was being overran with Germans. His actions, while saving his regiment, cost him his life and he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1982. After further review, Lt. Fox had his medal upgraded, in January 1997, to the Congressional Medal of Honor. What type of a man does a Boy Scout grow up to be? A Buffalo Soldier. It’s not just coincidental that both groups’ initials are ‘B’ and ‘S’.