USNA National Eagle Scout Association Honored for Work With Scouts

MIDN 1/C Drew Bell and LCDR Casey Rayburg accepted the Baltimore Area Council Boy Scouts of America Friend of Eagle Award in front of nearly 400 civic, business, and boy scout leaders from across the state Oct. 29 at the 2015 Maryland Gathering of Eagles.

Approximately 40 midshipmen attended the event, which highlighted local organizations and individuals who have a major impact in scouting in the state of Maryland.

Additionally, the keynote speaker of the event was the academy's own Distinguished Visiting Professor Chris Inglis, former deputy director of the NSA.

The citation given to the midshipmen read:

"While traditionally given to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the ideals of scouting and the programs guiding young scouts along the path of Eagle, this year’s Friend of the Eagle Award goes to an institution that supports Eagle Scouts and scouting in a number of ways. This year’s honoree, the United States Naval Academy, has made exceptional contributions to scouting year after year, not just to the more than 30,000 scouts of central Maryland, but nationwide, and to the four corners of the globe.

The academy is home to one of the country’s largest National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) chapters, and supports a year-round calendar of mentoring, community service, and Boy Scout development programs. Most recently, the USNA hosted the 2015 USNA NESA STEM Jamboree, at which dozens of midshipmen donated their time and talent to teach STEM-related merit badges to hundreds of scouts from across the State of Maryland and its immediate neighbors. We are extremely proud of their work and pleased to confer this award upon them for both their service and their example."