Photo courtesy of Laura DeBeer Russell Boy Scout Logan DeBeer earned Eagle Scout rank.

MARSHALL — Earning an Eagle Scout rank is a distinct honor that recognizes years of community service, leadership and dedication to the Boy Scouts of America program, which translates to being a lifelong scout. It is a testament, and the highest rank attainable, to the personal growth and positive impact an individual has made on their community. Logan DeBeer of Russell earned his Eagle Scout over the summer.

DeBeer first joined Boy Scouts in Pack 29 of Tyler when he was in first grade, and continued all the way through to finishing all Eagle Scout requirements this summer. Through the years, DeBeer went on service trips, completed his merit badges, participated in camps and worked with his church for his final project. He will next take serving his community to the next level, as he has enlisted in the Army National Guard and will go to training camp next summer. 

“I got my Eagle Scout on July 12, and then on the 21st, I went and enlisted in the National Guard,” DeBeer said. “I knew I was going to do that (getting his scout) on the 12th, so that’s all I was thinking about — Is how much it will help me in my military career.” 

DeBeer crossed over into Boy Scout Troop 320 in Marshall in May 2018, where he began to elevate his life skills and take after completing the merit badges. 

Chris Shuckhart is the Troop 320 Master, and oversaw DeBeer the last four years when he took over in the fall of 2020. 

“I saw Logan turn into a real leader, into a fine young adult,” Shuckhart said. “When I first met him, he was kind of a squirrely young teenager, 13 years old … He has really turned into a fine young person. He was our senior patrol leader, which was essentially the youth leader of the troop for two years. I could count on him to plan campouts, to run meetings, and so forth.” 

There are numerous areas of skills and servicing that Eagle Scouts must master. 

“There are 22 Eagle required merit badges that they have to complete,” Shuckhart said. “Some of them are intense in terms of book learning. So, there’s four merit badges that have to do with citizenship they have to complete, a camping merit badge, which requires 20 nights of camping, they have to do a cooking merit badge and first aid. So, it goes beyond just fun and outdoors, there’s a lot of life skills that go into making this.” 

Laura DeBeer, Logan’s mother, recalls when her son was helping those earn their swimming badge and heard about the leadership he was starting to partake in. 

“I got an awesome story from Chris Shuckhart about last summer when they were working on their swimming badge. Logan already had it for quite a few years … But, I got a call from Chris and he said he (Logan) encouraged a boy to go the whole way across the pool. So, the way they bind together, and the way they help each other out is just so awesome.” 

DeBeer went on two extended service trips with Troop 320 to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico in 2022, and a Scout Camp near Juneau, Alaska in the summer of 2023.

“One of my favorite memories is going to a hike adventure camp in New Mexico,” DeBeer said. “I think it’s 250 square miles. It was eight or nine days, and it was 87 miles hiked … We cut down overgrown brush, more like trees, (that were) just too close together and fire hazards. Stacked them up in piles to be burned during the winter.” 

Shuckhart could sense a change of growth in DeBeer specifically after the trip. 

“I think when he took the trip to New Mexico to go to Philmont Scout Reservation and complete that trek, that was a kind of a turning point for him,” Shuckhart said. “He went off as kind of a kid, and came back as a young man.” 

The Alaska trip consisted of similar activities with hiking, a community service project with a local church, and also clearing out more brush. However, one of DeBeer’s favorite badges came from this trip. 

“Camp pioneering, it’s not a required merit badge, but it was one of my favorites … (We did) lashings, so tying sticks together with rope pretty much. We built a stick bridge over a little creek,” DeBeer said. “On our way up there, we were kind of talking about what we were going to do, and there’s three of us that did it there. None of us were looking forward to it, but it ended up being the most fun of the whole week.” 

For the final requirement to earn his scout, DeBeer had to complete a solo service project that benefited a community in an important way. He chose to reconstruct a storage room at the Grace First Parish in Russell. 

“We’ve been going to Grace First Parish, it’s our church since he was a baby,” Laura said. “They’ve been with him through thick and thin ….  The council just enjoyed working with him. They were like, ‘It was so much fun to have somebody literally come to us and say, What do you need? I want to help you.'” 

Working with the church was always in the back of DeBeer’s mind for this project. 

“When I was first planning on getting this Eagle Scout project done, I knew I wanted to do something at the church because they’ve supported me for all my years in scouting,” DeBeer said. “They said, ‘We need the storage room in the basement redone,’ and that’s what I did … I’m very happy, and so is the church.” 

Shuckhart visited the church recently, and said the work DeBeer did was well-constructed and is a nice improvement in terms of updated storage and space. 

As DeBeer officially earned his rank, Laura was overwhelmed with satisfaction and pride. 

“It is that breath of (fresh air), like you did it … You persevered. It’s not an easy task, and that’s why it’s so elite,” Laura said. “Sometimes you feel like you’re taking two steps back for every step forward, and other times you’re leaping forward and get super encouraged. … I’m just really, really proud of him, knowing how difficult it is.” 

DeBeer said the biggest challenge he faced and learned through his time is adapting to leadership, due to naturally being a shy person, but feels as though he has worked on gaining confidence. 

“Logan’s got a very strong character,” Shuckhart said. “He’s very patriotic, loves his country, loves his community, loves his school, and would do just about anything to help any one of those organizations or communities.” 

Shuckhart mentioned that not everyone who grows up involved in Boy Scouts gets their Eagle rank, as you have to complete everything before turning 18 years old, and that it’s an accomplishment that deserves to be respected. 

DeBeer is supported by his parents, Laura and Mark, and his sister Blaine. He will leave for military training camp at the end of next June in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. 

DeBeer said his overall favorite part about this journey is “the good that it brings.” 

“I know he’s going into the military. He’s going to be a tremendous asset to whatever battalion he gets assigned to when he gets done with basic training next summer,” Shuckhart said. “He just continues to serve.”