About two million boys across America have taken the 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.” These boys are organized in troops in every region of the nation, in order to build leadership, character, and outdoor skills. Senior Nathan Cranston is one of those boys — part of the Boy Scouts of America since 2008 — and he is now in the midst of pursuing the organization’s highest rank, the Eagle Scout.

“My dad was a Chief Scout, which is the equivalent of an Eagle Scout in Canada,” Cranston said. “He encouraged me, inspired me. He asked me if I wanted to join, and I loved it instantly.”

         Obtaining one’s Eagle Scout is a long, arduous process, and only a select few make the cut. Only 3 percent of scouts will obtain this rank. There are a long list of prerequisites that culminate in a board reviewal (this Sunday for Nathan) , after which, successful Eagle Scouts will receive a badge and a medal, to distinguish their efforts. Scouts must demonstrate leadership and a dedication to the Scout’s Law. According to Stephen Bentley, a former scout who has been with the BSA for 40 years, husband to VHS’s own Mrs. Bentley, and a mentor for Cranston over the course of the project, he certainly has.

“I’ve known Nathan for 10 years, and his confidence, time management, and leadership have grown,” Mr. Bentley said. “There are so many big things I’ve seen in Nathan. Leadership is a characteristic that he will use for the rest of his life. What drew me to the BSA in the first place is that it changes the quality of a young man, and turns them into a servant of the country and a statesman.”

Additionally, every aspiring Eagle Scout must complete a service project that directly benefits his community. Cranston, and his network of fellow scouts and associates, have been working to deliver care packages to soldiers stationed at a remote Tactical Base accessible mainly by helicopter east-southeast of the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, that is approximately the size of Vandegrift’s front parking-lot and football field combined. These care packages are filled with basic toiletries such as toothbrushes and shaving cream, as well as candy bars and beef jerky, and were sent towards Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan this Saturday, where they will be redirected to the Tactical Base

“I was researching the sort of luxuries that soldiers don’t have, and talked to my dad and his friend, who are both ex-military, and then I decided that was how I was going to help,” Cranston said. “I really love how when we have a group of scouts that are determined, we can do incredible things.”

However, the Eagle Scout rank will not be his first achievement — he’s had many in the past. Nathan has over 50 merit badges — double the required amount for his Eagle Scout rank. Additionally, he was elected into the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scout’s Honor Society, by his peers. He claimed to learn much, over his years in the BSA.

“I think the most challenging part of being an Eagle Scout is probably being a leader, but it’s also really rewarding when people look up to you and look to you for help,” he said. “I learned how to interact with people, pay attention to their wants and needs; making people feel good about themselves is important in group environments.”

While learning how to lead and be of service to the community, the senior has also had a lot of fun over the years. This summer, he plans to attend one of the Boy Scout High Adventure camps, in Philmont, New Mexico, where he will hike. Not only does he love to camp, shoot, and climb, but he also embraces the challenge of being Scout.

“Don’t give up, don’t procrastinate, and work as hard as you can,” he said as advice to other aspiring Eagle Scouts. Then, with a chuckle, he added, “Definitely the don’t procrastinate part.”