Troop 41 in Bay Village honor two new Eagle Scouts

Boy Scout Troop 41's newest Eagle Scouts Brogan MacMillan and Dillon Christian Forsythe, both of Bay Village, were honored in a special ceremony on Oct. 5.

Boy Scout Troop 41 of Bay Village presented Eagle Scout awards to two Boy Scouts at an Oct. 5 ceremony at Bethesda-on-the-Bay Lutheran Church. Eagle Scout is the highest rank in scouting. The recipients were Dillon Christian Slaman Forsythe and Brogan Ross MacMillan, both of Bay Village.

Nationally, only about 4 percent of scouts achieve Eagle Scout rank. An Eagle Scout must satisfy criteria including a minimum of 21 merit badges, of which 12 are required; demonstration of leadership positions in the troop planning and implementation of an Eagle service project; character references with at least five letters of recommendation, and the approval of a district-level Eagle Board of Review.

The Reverend Jonathan McCleery of Bay Village United Methodist Church officiated and Reverend Tom MacMillan, father of Brogan, gave a moving performance on the bagpipes.

The ceremony included presentations by Jim Potter, past post commander of Bay Village American Legion Post 385, and Fred Zeager, commander, in which they presented the new Eagle Scouts with a flag.

Fred Green, commander of Bay Village VFW Post 9693, honored the two scouts with proclamations.

State Senator Tom Patton, State Representative Nan Baker, Cuyahoga County Councilman Dave Greenspan and Bay Village City Councilman Dwight Clark personally awarded the Eagle Scouts with proclamations and congratulatory words.

Compliments of U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur’s office, American flags were flown over the United States Capitol and presented to each of the Eagle Scouts in honor of their accomplishment.

For his Eagle Scout project, Brogan built a fire ring with five sturdy benches in the back lawn of John Knox Presbyterian Church in North Olmsted, which is now used by many youth and community groups.

Dillon Christian’s project consisted of remodeling the Youth Group Room in the basement of the Bay United Methodist Church, repainting the room, refinishing the wood floors, adding a ceiling fan, installing new curtains, and purchasing a beverage cooler, clock, two table lamps, and a custom-made, five-foot dark mahogany wood cross. He raised over $3,500 by putting on two fundraising events: Dillon’s Duck Race and Running for Jesus as well as a presentation to the Bay Kiwanis Club. He wanted to make a difference in the lives of teens that are in need of Jesus Christ.

Brogan, son of Jessie and Tom MacMillan, graduated from Bay High School in June 2014. Just days before his Eagle Scout ceremony, Brogan graduated from boot camp at Parris Island for the United States Marines. Brogan will now begin Marine Combat Training and Military Occupational Specialty Training. He plans to attend Kent State in January to study criminal justice and will be in the Reserves Program toward becoming an officer in the Marines.

Dillon Christian, son of Mary Frances Blair Slaman, has always been homeschooled and started taking college courses at age 14. He reached his goal to become an Eagle Scout by his 16th birthday. His future goals are to earn his college degree debt-free and continue in Christian Ministry. He would also love to one day be the Scoutmaster for Troop 41.