Carrying the processional cross, Eagle Scout Zachary Bryant walked down the center aisle at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel, followed by Star Scout Isabella Tunney, Bible in hand. The Report to the Nation delegates helped with a Sunday service at the chapel, including the processions, collecting the offering and guiding congregants during Holy Communion.
It’s become an annual tradition for the Scouts to visit the Naval Academy — a place where many Eagle Scouts attend. Every year, the academy’s National Eagle Scout Association chapter hosts a STEM Merit Badge Jamboree (registration typically opens in the fall), a Navy football Scout day and tours of the campus.
The Report to the Nation delegation went on a tour, led by the NESA chapter president Alex Stamato. He guided the Scouts around campus, taking them to see Memorial and Dahlgren Halls. Memorial Hall features more than 2,700 names of fallen sailors; Dahlgren Hall has served as an armory, indoor drill area and ice rink.
After the chapel service, Scouts saw the crypt of John Paul Jones, a naval commander in the American Revolutionary War.
The gang’s all here
As most of the delegation visited the U.S. Naval Academy, the final two delegates arrived in D.C.
Eagle Scout Terry Hendriex and National Chief of the Order of the Arrow Zachary Schonfeld were in Michigan, planning the National Order of the Arrow Conference, scheduled for this August. After arriving, they toured Ford’s Theatre, the site of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Watch the video below of them talking about NOAC and their Ford’s Theatre visit.
The entire delegation later met at the Department of Interior headquarters for a nighttime tour of memorials for World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. At the end, under the lights illuminating the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, Scouts presented a copy of the Report to the Nation, a commemorative coin and a “Scout Me In” neckerchief to the park ranger who led the tour. It was a day of reverence and friendship.
Every presentation the Scouts make during the Report to the Nation trip exemplifies the fourth point of the Scout Law, showing appreciation for those who meet with them, from tour guides to our country’s leaders. Check out photos of other presentations the delegation has done here.
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