Special to the Auburn Reporter

Auburn’s Boy Scout Troop 343 celebrated four young men who achieved the rank of Eagle with a combined Court of Honor ceremony on Dec. 17.

Ryan Anderson, a bishop for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where the boys attend church, said that this event was especially remarkable because “only 4 percent of Boy Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle.”

Wil Callier, Ben Callier, Aiden Grames, and Brayden Agnew have grown up in the scouting program together. When they were younger their scout leaders called them “the squirrels” because they would get in the car headed to a scouting adventure and talk nonstop for hours, no matter how far the drive was.

But, largely thanks to the influence of the scouting program, they have grown into great young men.

“To watch boys grow and mature and gain skills and do it together … you can’t duplicate this kind of camaraderie anywhere,” Anderson said. “They love to do service. I’ve never been with a group of boys who love to serve and do it so willingly. I would hire them. I would let them date my daughters, and that’s saying a lot. I trust them.”

Their scout leaders remarked that each boy has different strengths, and that was reflected in the variety of projects spotlighted. Ben Callier built and outdoor shelter at a nearby camp, Grames cleared brush at Lea Hill Elementary and installed bat boxes to control the mosquito population. Agnew improved a trail on Auburn’s West Hill, and Wil Callier welded and installed barbecue stands.

Grames said he had the most fun “cutting the wood. It was cool to use a saw.” The most challenging aspect for him was talking to the city of Auburn to come up with ideas. He is proud to be a bit of a trail blazer as a scout, because his dad and some friends started their Eagle projects but weren’t able to complete them.

“I wanted to be the one who got it done,” Grames said.

The part that Agnew liked best during his project was: “I got to boss everyone around.” For him, the hardest part was making the trail and laying the gravel, which involved taking wheelbarrows of gravel up a hill. His advice for aspiring scouts is to “try your hardest.”

Ben Callier said his favorite part was getting everyone together to share food and stories about his Eagle project, and the toughest part was getting it all figured out. His advice? “Get the paperwork done as fast as you can.”

Wil Callier enjoyed welding his barbecue stands the most and the paperwork the least. His words of wisdom for aspiring Eagles: “Don’t procrastinate. Get it done so you can enjoy it.”