RICHLAND, Wash. – Local Scouts of America Troop 248 held a special ceremony today, honoring four members who achieved the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. Skyler Alexander, Blain Galloway, Tyler Melvin and Nathan Klosterman were inducted into the Scouts’ highest honor.
After years of dedication and earning numerous merit badges, these young men reached a significant milestone. Skyler Alexander expressed his excitement about the opportunity this achievement provides.
“It gives me the opportunity to help everyone around me experience more and develop their own skills,” said Alexander.
For Blain Galloway, being a Scout carries a deeper meaning.
“A symbol, someone you can go to if you need guidance and leadership or anything else, any information you need, they’ll be willing to help you no matter who you are. They’ll always be there to help,” said Galloway.
A crucial part of becoming an Eagle Scout involves completing a community project. Skyler took on the task of cleaning up a neglected cemetery in Burbank, inspired by its connection to his grandmother.
“It’s an older cemetery. It hasn’t been upkept and the people there in Burbank always posted about how nobody’s really taking care of it. And I took inspiration from that to go and take care of it, as my grandmother lived out there for many, many years,” said Alexander.
Blain focused on restoring and cleaning up a trail near his home.
“This trail was run down, and we wanted to just clean it up a bit, get new things planted in there to make it look better,” said Galloway.
Tyler Melvin worked on restoring native vegetation on the slopes of Rattlesnake Mountain.
“Got rid of a bunch of invasive plant species and replanted, native plants such as rabbit brush and sagebrush,” said Melvin.
Nathan Klosterman’s project involved building sunshades at the Strides Therapeutic Horsemanship Center.
“It’s just a place for them to stand in the shade. And it took a lot of work, but I think it turned out great,” said Klosterman.
The Scouts acknowledged the vital role their families played in their achievements, emphasizing the importance of community.
“Through everything that we’ve done, they push through. They got me to scouts each meeting. They got me into Scouts in the first place. I would even have been in Scouts if it wasn’t for my parents,” said Galloway.
Skyler also highlighted the value of community service.
“Helping out in the community, being able to do good daily, no matter who the person is, just being able to do something good and get back to the people you’ve always looked up to,” said Alexander.
Only four percent of all youth who join the Scouts of America achieve the rank of Eagle, including Brenden Jin, a member of the NonStop Local team.
