David Preston, founder and owner of New Harbor Group, delivered the keynote address at the Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America’s annual Eagle Scout Recognition Dinner recently, celebrating the achievements of this year’s class of Eagle Scouts. He shared how his Scouting experience repeatedly prepared him for life, paying tribute to his own Scoutmasters and the example they set. He assured the new Eagles that Scouting had prepared them to meet the new and unique challenges faced by their generation. The full speech can be read below.
Fellow Eagles, distinguished guests, my friends —
Good evening and thank you for having me. I can’t tell you how glad I am to be here and have the chance to share how the Scouts laid the groundwork for every adventure I’ve had over the years and every success I’ve enjoyed – lessons that are not only still relevant today, but maybe even more important than ever. This also gives me the chance to publicly thank the people who made it possible, my scoutmasters Dr. George Marot, Mr. Richard Barry and Colonel Gene Nervo of the United States Marine Corps. I am profoundly indebted to them all.
It’s been 50 years since I first said the Scout Oath and Law and it’s amazing how well I’ve been served by the ideals they reflect. They’re not only a good guide for navigating daily life, but I’ve also found that they are a great help in assessing a situation, and other people.
Looking back, the foundation for everything I’ve been able to do was laid by the Scouts. My deep respect for Colonel Nervo led me to join the Marines after four years at Providence College.
The Marines were a challenge, but the lessons I learned in Scouts made it less so. Unlike the majority of my peers, I knew how to prepare for a hike and set up a tent so that you didn’t wake up in the middle of a lake if it rained overnight. I learned how to be a strong swimmer in Yawgoog Pond and I knew basic First Aid. I knew how to read a map, use a compass and find the North Star. Like you, I had already had a taste of leadership, and most important of all, I knew how important it was to always Be Prepared.
Shortly after I left active duty, Gov. Bruce Sundlun hired me to work on his campaign and serve with him at the State House. Now, I didn’t have any particular experience or skills in government or politics. But he said “You were in the Marines – start Monday!” The fact that he was once a Scout who camped at Yawgoog many years earlier probably helped him overlook my complete lack of qualifications.
Since then, I’ve layered those experiences over the foundation of Scouting and enjoyed a business career where I’ve been blessed, while at the same time helping people and making our community a much better place.
In that time, I’ve been struck by how timeless the Scout Law is, and the values of Scouting as well. And that’s a good thing.
Now I know that your parents and your grandparents, like me, had it rough – we all walked to school every day uphill both ways in a raging blizzard, even in June, and we were the very last ones to climb aboard before Noah closed the door to the Ark.
Seriously, there’s no doubt that every age has its challenges. But I would argue that in many ways the challenges you face are unprecedented and unique to your generation. I don’t underestimate for a minute the challenge created by the possibility of being barraged on social media 24/7 by disturbing images of deeply troubling events, with little or no ability to create a buffer to filter them out. Social media means that you can judged – or even mocked – at any time, sometimes anonymously. And what to me is most perplexing of all, is that grown adults, almost all of whom should know better, engage in shameful public behavior that would have never seen the light of day when I was your age – and if it did, it would be universally condemned. Even worse, these behaviors are rationalized, and even celebrated – often on social media, and sometimes anonymously.
I am well aware how disorienting and challenging it must be to see grown adults celebrating behavior that is completely at odds with the Scout Oath and Law.
But here we are. And because of the touchstone of the Scout Law, you are better prepared than most to chart a course that is right and true.
One night, your great-grandparents may have huddled around the radio to hear the leader of their generation, Franklin Roosevelt, observe that there is a mysterious rhythm to the life of a nation. 80 years after George Washington and the Founders won the revolution Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and saved the union. 80 years later, your great-grandparents made great sacrifices to survive the Depression, and shed more than a little blood to defeat the Nazis and fascist dictators. They left you a peaceful, prosperous and great nation that is still a beacon for the world.
But it’s been another 80 years, and the pendulum is swinging. And while your grandparents and I may have survived the Blizzard of ‘78, you’ve got your own challenges. They may be less physically dangerous than storming the beach on D-Day or on Iwo Jima, but I know that your daily experience presents its own challenges… while the stakes are just as high.
So what to do? The truly reverent Scout knows well the term “love thy neighbor”, and that’s a great place to start. From there, you already know the answer – “To do my duty to God and My Country and obey the Scout law.”
In my role with the Narragansett Council it’s been amazing to watch while you’ve served the community. I’ve seen the example you’ve set for younger Scouts and your peers, as well.
So keep helping your neighbors in need through Scouting for Food. Continue to have the vision to recognize things your community needs and apply the leadership to fix them. If you’re going to be 18 before November, register to vote and work at the polls on Election Day. In short, keep making a positive, lasting impact.
Based on what I’ve seen, I have every confidence that you are prepared to meet and master the challenges that your community and your nation face today. And when the storm has passed you will sit at a table just like these with your children and grandchildren and they will look at you with admiration, gratitude and respect. Because of what you’ve learned in Scouts, you are ready to be the worthy heirs of your great-grandparents’ generation.
Tonight, I’m simply here to tell you that you’re on the right track. So keep up the great work.