Church of Scientology's Boy Scout Troop 313 Celebrates Newest Eagle Scout - Winston McDaniel

A twelve-year journey for Clearwater's Winston McDaniel ended with the achievement of a lifetime - the honor of Eagle Scout. End Quote

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (1888PressRelease) June 09, 2011 - Boy Scout Troop 313, chartered to the Church of Scientology, Flag Service Organization, is proud to announce that Winston McDaniel was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout.

This caps a 12-year journey for McDaniel, who joined Cub Scout Pack 313 when he was only 6.

"I always saw being an Eagle Scout as something only a handful of people could say they were," says McDaniel. "I started in Tiger Cubs (the earliest you can start) and I just HAD to finish it. I wanted to achieve that respected rank of Eagle Scout."

While a Cub Scout, McDaniel received a special mention from pack leaders for completing all 21 of the Merit Badges that are available to Cubs - learning skills such as basic forestry, fitness, geology, communication and being a good family member.

After graduating into the Boy Scouts, McDaniel was an active Scout, holding various levels of responsibility including his service one year as Senior Patrol Leader, and earning 23 more merit badges including the 12 that are required for Eagle.

The required badges include Environmental Science, First Aid and Camping, which McDaniel definitely enjoyed.
"I mean, what guy doesn't enjoy going camping, swimming, learning how to make fires, eating good food that you yourself cooked?" he said. "I would take that over staying indoors 10 times outa 10."

To be awarded each badge, McDaniel had to complete a full checklist of practical assignments to show that he had learned each skill. In the case of the First Aid badge, the Scout must put together their own first aid kit, be able to recognize and treat a person who is experiencing shock or heart attack, know when to use CPR, and many other similar skills.

Every Eagle Scout must complete a project that specifically benefits some part of the community, like a church or a school. The Scout must raise the funds for the project and recruit and direct volunteers to get it done.
In McDaniel's case, he wanted to help his school, Delphi Oregon. They had a major problem on the school baseball field in that the pitching mound flooded when it rained. And it rains often in Oregon.

McDaniel found the technology to install a special drain system that eliminated the flooding. The project cost about $650 in materials. He enlisted the help of about a dozen of his schoolmates and they worked most of Super Bowl weekend to properly install the drain system. It was a complete success - the pitchers do not have to splash in a pool of water in order to practice.

In the final steps to being awarded Eagle Scout, A very hefty book of McDaniel's accomplishments was submitted and reviewed by 3 levels of Scout hierarchy before McDaniel received the acknowledgement that he had in fact made it to the rank of Eagle Scout. McDaniel became an Eagle Scout on April 11, 2011 and in late May 2011, Winston received his Eagle Badge and Eagle Scout pins for his father and his Mother.

"In how hard it is to get jobs these days, having "Eagle Scout" on my resume' not only shows a status, but also shows I can get something done, which I know will help me in the future," added McDaniel.

McDaniel follows in the footsteps of many famous Americans who have also earned this rank, including Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

"Of all of the various information which became important to me," wrote Hubbard, "such as photography, wood lore, signaling and many other subjects, the basis of it was laid in Scouting."

Hubbard credited the skills he learned in Scouting to helping him survive his military duties in World War II.

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