Bay Ridge Teen Aiming for Eagle Becomes an Angel

Bay Ridge Boy Scout Billy Loesch is not yet an Eagle Scout but he’s already considered an angel in the eyes of American soldiers and his community.

To obtain scouting’s most prestigious rank, the 18-year-old organized a collection of new and used DVDs and international phone cards for wounded American soldiers. The recent Xaverian H.S. graduate received an unexpected outpouring of support from family, friends and neighbors in the form of 780 DVDs, about 150 compact discs, nearly a dozen prepaid calling cards, and almost $5,000, with some contributions from family friends as far away as Florida and Arizona.

Photo Courtesy of the Loesch Family  

Boy Scout Troop 310, above, shows some of the DVDs they collected under the leadership of Eagle Scout-hopeful Billy Loesch, third from left, for the non-profit organization Soldiers’ Angels. Loesch, below in his Xaverian H.S. graduation picture, has been in Scouting 13 years.

The young man mailed the donations to Soldiers’ Angels’ locations in Pasadena, Calif., and Ramseur, North Carolina, which forwarded the items to overseas military hospitals, including Balad Air Force Theater Hospital in Iraq. Several weeks later, Soldiers’ Angels mailed Loesch an American flag that flew over Balad Base and granted Golden Wing awards to him and his troop.

“It’s amazing,” Loesch said in a recent telephone interview. “I was in shock it worked so well. I didn’t think it was going to be such a huge success.”

Early Start As a Tiger Cub

Little did he know where the trail would lead when his parents signed him up for scouting at age five.

Beginning as a Tiger Cub in his parish troop at St. Anselm’s, he advanced from badge to badge. In seventh grade he became a full-fledged Boy Scout with Troop 310 at Fort Hamilton Army Base.

While he joined scouting “to go camping and hang out with friends,” he discovered over the past 13 years that “there is so much more.” Scouting, he says, has taught him about “commitment and responsibility,” teamwork and judgment, as well as practical skills, such as first aid, cooking, how to build a fire and shelter. “As I got older, the adults molded me and I became a leader,” he said.

He’s displayed his leadership and time management skills while serving as his troop’s senior patrol leader this past year. He planned weekly meetings, weekend hikes, monthly camping trips as well as activities to build character, citizenship and fitness among about 14 younger scouts. He did this while keeping up with his senior year studies at Xaverian and training in mixed martial arts during evenings and weekends.

After having “gone through every single rank,” earning 21 merit badges, and a lifesaving award for rescuing an unattended youngster on an apartment building fire escape several years ago, the next and most natural step for Loesch was to try for the highest rank a Scout can achieve. According to the Boy Scouts of America website, only about five percent of all Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts. To earn this rank, a Scout must complete a project that benefits the community and demonstrates leadership before age 18.

As his 17th birthday passed last June, Loesch decided he didn’t want to do a project just for the sake of doing a project; it had to be something meaningful. “I wanted to give back to the community. I wanted to give back to people, especially our soldiers,” he said.

Every time he sets foot inside Ft. Hamilton for a Scout meeting, Loesch thinks of the soldiers who protect this country domestically and abroad. His own grandfather and uncle were in the armed forces, and his cousins Gianni and Danny, are presently serving in the Marine Corps. “They’re over in Iraq right now. Gianni’s on his third or fourth tour and this is Danny’s first,” he said.
Loesch knew who he wanted to help but wasn’t sure how he would do it until his mom received a donation request letter from Soldiers’ Angels, (www.soldiersangels.org), a non-profit that sends care packages, letters, and aid to American armed forces and their families. Loesch found his “good cause.” He contacted the organization and learned what items were needed for wounded soldiers in overseas hospitals.
After receiving his scoutmaster’s approval, Loesch set to work.

“First I sent an e-mail to family members and friends and my whole troop (about the project) and asked them to spread the word to their family and friends,” he said.
He contacted his parish, St. Anselm’s, and area parishes, St. Andrew the Apostle, Our Lady of Angels and the Ft. Hamilton Post Chapel. Each agreed to advertise the project and have a collection drive. He also spoke to local representative and family friend, State Sen. Martin Golden, who set up a collection box in his district office.
Flyers and announcements ran several weeks before the collection weekend in late April. For two days, Loesch and his troop spent time at each parish accepting contributions. Donations poured in through the month of May and Loesch shipped everything out by June.

Loesch documented the entire effort and submitted his records to a review board which will meet in the coming weeks to determine if he’s met the rank’s requirements.

Teamwork Counts

Like any good leader, Loesch recognizes that his project was really a team effort. He says he wouldn’t have accomplished anything without the assistance of his family, fellow Scouts and Scout leaders, namely Scoutmaster Mike Scarano and Assistant Scoutmasters Jim Clark and Bill Pettet.

Two people who went above and beyond, he said, were John Quaglione, Sen. Golden’s press secretary, who helped post flyers in the neighborhood, and Father James Devlin, Our Lady of Angels pastor. Father Devlin not only promoted the project from the pulpit, but also proofread Loesch’s advertisements.

Rae Loesch, Billy’s mother, said she’s “so very proud” of her son’s efforts and ability to bring the whole community together for a common cause. “Becoming an Eagle Scout takes many years of dedication. … Billy’s learned so much about independence, responsibility and leadership over the years. His Eagle project was a big effort,” she said.

Troop 310 Scoutmaster Mike Scarano, who’s watched Loesch grow from a boy to a young man as he’s risen through the ranks of scout, patrol leader and senior patrol leader, was impressed that Loesch chose a project to assist men and women who serve this country.

“It gives them (soldiers) a terrific feeling that people back home care about them. It really does raise the morale,” said Scarano, a civil engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers, who spent six months working with soldiers in Iraq.

While the official decision won’t be made until at least next month, Scarano is satisfied that Loesch, who will soon begin classes at Monmouth University in New Jersey, has earned Eagle Scout status.

Notable Eagle Scouts

Arthur Rose Eldred, the first Eagle Scout

Gerald R. Ford, former U.S. president

Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon

Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City

Bill Bradley, former U.S. senator, former presidential candidate, former professional basketball player

Willie Banks, U.S. Olympic medalist, former world record holder in the triple jump

Thomas Foley, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, former ambassador to Japan

Togo D. West Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Steven Spielberg, Academy Award-winning film director

George Meyer, writer and producer of The Simpsons

- courtesy of Scouting.org

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