Madera senior on cusp of an Eagle honor
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune BSA Eagle Candidate Daniel Chadwick presents Boy Scout Troop 118 Skills Master Mel Govett with a gift during a ceremony at the American Legion Hall Dec. 16.
With the only one hurdle left, Madera High School senior Daniel Chadwick looks to obtain his Eagle Scout badge after he recreated a tribute to American servicemen and women.
“So, the project basically revolved around the Fallen Comrade Table,” Daniel Chadwick said. “That’s a table that signifies POW’s and MIA’s or people that didn’t come home.”
The project itself was in the form of a display case. The display stands at 8 1/2 feet tall, is nine feet wide and about three feet deep with glass shelving on either side of the centerpiece.
Chadwick, 17, credited his family for helping him come up with the idea. A long lineage of servicemen, including his father and grandfather, played a role, as well.
“I think it was a result from family ideas,” Chadwick said. “We were all thinking what I could do for my Eagle Scout project and then we came across the American Legion and found out about the comrade table. It kind of just went from there.”
Chadwick created his Eagle Scout project for the American Legion, which is the nation’s largest veterans service organization and works to uphold time-honored values. The display case rests at the local office for visitors to witness.
American Legion Post 11, which is located in Madera County, is deeply committed to serving veterans, their families, and the community at large and relies deeply on the public’s financial generosity.
The project will vary between scouts, but for Chadwick, as if building it wasn’t enough, the usual paperwork must be in order. Luckily for Chadwick, the process is drawing to a close.
“Everything physical about the project is complete,” Chadwick said. “I just have to finish the paperwork over Christmas break, turn it in and wait for them to review it. Then I’ll get a board of review, which is basically a group of officials that ask me questions on my project and I guess they deem whether you are worthy of an Eagle badge or not.”
His father, Mark Chadwick, reminisced on the long road his son undertook when he was just a boy and how his experiences have prepared him for this final step.
“Not every kid goes through scouting from six years of age to 18; Daniel has,” Chadwick said. “He started as a 6-year-old in Tiger Cubs and has achieved everything that is out there for them to achieve. It holds a lot of value because it gives the kids a solid foundation.”
As for the future, Chadwick sees himself going to school for computer engineering and, with an Eagle Scout on his resume, the chances of going to a good college are much better.
“Colleges they see stuff like that,” Chadwick said. “You’ve really put in work and tried to better yourself in order to be a better person in the community. I think it also shows I care a lot about my future and that you care about other people as well.”
