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Gates Earns Prestigious Boy Scouts of America Honor
(November 21 , 2007) |  /td>
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates speaks with Eagle Scout Adam Evans and his father, David Evans, during the Boy Scouts of America National Capital Area Council's 39th Annual Citizen of the Year Award reception and dinner in Washington, D.C., Nov. 15, 2007. Since 1968, the National Capital Area Council has annually honored those who serve as a good example and are dedicated to serving youth in America.
Photo by Cherie A. Thurlby
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2007 A local Boy Scouts of America organization
recognized Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for his lifelong devotion to
scouting during an award ceremony here yesterday.
Gates received the “Citizen of the Year” award, bestowed annually by the
National Capital Area Council. Since 1968, the council has recognized
individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and dedication to
community while serving as a role model to the nation's young people.
Gates earned the top rank of Eagle Scout as a youth in his native Kansas. He
also received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award before he graduated from high
school. |
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Participation in scouting prepares young people for positions of leadership,
instills character, and teaches responsible behavior, Gates observed after
receiving his award from former Army and Veterans Affairs secretary Togo D. West
Jr., who also is a distinguished Eagle Scout.
“I know that I, personally, learned these lessons first in Boy Scouts, and have
used them every step of the journey that led to where I am today,” Gates pointed
out.
Becoming and excelling as a Boy Scout, Gates said, helped to form his
personality and character. Persistence, successful goal-setting and
self-discipline -- character traits necessary in earning an Eagle Scout badge --
would well serve the future CIA director and defense secretary in later years.
“That early achievement gave me the confidence to tackle the increasingly
complex challenges that I would face later in life,” Gates said.
Leadership skills and an understanding of the importance of character and
personal responsibility “are three of the most important gifts I've ever
received, and I received them from the Boy Scouts of America,” he added.
These traits of strong character are demonstrated daily by U.S. servicemembers
engaged in the global war on terrorism, Gates said. “I see these attributes
displayed by the brave men and women of our armed forces who serve and sacrifice
every day in battle against an unrelenting enemy determined to do our country
harm,” he said.
The United States is presented with unprecedented threats, Gates said, but he
added that he's hopeful and optimistic that Americans also “face a world full of
unprecedented hope and opportunity.”
“Scouting provides the kind of optimistic, confident and skilled young leaders
of integrity who will ensure that we fulfill the hope and seize the
opportunity,” Gates said.
When he became secretary of defense in December 2006, Gates resigned his
membership on the Boy Scouts national board and stepped down as president of the
National Eagle Scouts Association, a position he'd held since 1996. In 2000,
Gates received scouting's prestigious “Silver Buffalo” award for his service to
youth on a national level.
Previous “Citizen of the Year” award recipients include a roster of past and
present chief executives, including Presidents George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan,
and Gerald R. Ford, as well as other distinguished leaders in government and
industry. | |
By Gerry J.
Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2007
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