Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, October 7, 2010

By some accounts its been 37 years since Ringgold county had a Boy Scout raise to the rank of Eagle.

That long drought was ended Sunday when a court of honor was held for Wyatt LILIENTHAL of Mount Ayr, who was awarded the high scouting honor.

LILIENTHAL, a sophomore at Mount Ayr Community high school, has been in scouting since starting as a Cub Scout. The son of Vic and Shelly LILINENTHAL of Mount Ayr, he is a member of Boy Scout Troop 39 of Mount Ayr.

The road to becoming an Eagle Scout is not an easy one. After reaching the Life Scout level, a prospective Eagle Scout has to be active in their troop for at least six more months.

An Eagle Scout has to earn at least 21 badges, some of them proscribed. They have to serve in a leadership position in their troop. They must demonstrate that they live by the principals of the Scout Oath and Scout Law - things like doing one's duty to God and country, helping others and keeping oneself "physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight."

Then there is a service project that the scout must plan, develop and lead to the completion.

Then the scout must go before a board of review of scouting and community members to have th ework they've done reviewed and given a final approval.

The court of honor Sunday was a formal way to confer th erank on the scout, though the scout officials becomes an Eagle Scout once the board of review is completed.

Scoutmaster Jerry McGILL and assistant scoutmasters Vic LILIENTHAL and Rod ZOLLMAN helped with the ceremony where Gordon CRAWFORD, former district activities director, was guest speaker.

LILIENTHAL says he has been a part of scouting partly for the adventure involved.

"Climbing, hiking, sleeping in the outdoors, learning to prepare a meal from scratch over a fire, learning about plants and animals in the outdoors -- these have all been part of scouting to me," LILIENTHAL said.

He's been camping at areas close to home such as Fogle Lake and Lake of Three Fires and gone to bigger camping experiences like Camp Cedars in Nebraska.

LILIENTHAL said he has enjoyed learning leadership skills that will be helpful to him throughout life.

"In scouting you learn how to set up a team, how to guide them to their goal, how to make people understand you, how to take charge in situations and help out when help is needed," LILIENTHAL said. "Basically leadership is helping people."

When he started in scouting, he was in it for the fun but as he went along he learned about the possibility of becoming an Eagle Scout.

"It went beyond fun to some hard work, but I have to say it was worth it," LILIENTHAL said. "Boy, was it worth it."

For his service project, LILIENTHAL build a new home for Murphy, the K-9 drug dog that serves with the Ringgold County Sheriff's Department.

Deputy sheriff Shannon ARENDS, who works with Murphy, was moving to a new home and new facilities were needed for the dog.

LILINTHAL took on the project of getting a new pen made for Murphy.

The project involved getting a concrete pad poured, moving the dog house and putting fencing back up for the kennel. He organized some other volunteers to helpwith the project as well.

"I learned a lot of stuff from the project," LILIENTHAL said. "I had never been around a concrete pour or set up a frame for concrete. It was a new experience and a good one."

LILIENTHAL noted that his parents have been a big support all through the process.

"They have been proud and excited about thsi accomplishment," he noted.

LILIENTHAL says that things he has learned in scouting carry over to school and other parts of his life.

Things he has learned about nature have helped him in some of his science classes, he said.

"I've learned to be a team player and be a good sport," he said. "Things like following the rules, being honest and not getting angry when I lose are all good lessons."

Trying to live up to the scout law of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brace, clean and reverent are all good lessons for life, he said.

Would he encourage other young people to get involved in scouting?

"Totally," he said. "You learn a lot of things and you make a lot of friends when you join, especially people you didn't even know about."

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2010