An Eagle Court of Honor

Along with many of the Scouts and Scouters who have been leaders of Troop 451 over the past seven years, I had the honor and the pleasure of participating in Thomas Sorensen's Eagle Court of Honor this afternoon. 

During my association with Scouting, which began with attending my older brothers’ Scouting events in the early 1960s, I have seen many Eagle Courts of Honor, including those for each of my older brothers. I never earned the honor of such recognition myself, but since joining Troop 451 in 2012, I have had the honor of participating in many and attending even more.

Every Eagle Court of Honor is a moving event and this one was no exception. Although each event has certain parts in common, each one is a unique celebration of the crowning achievement of an admirable Scouting career. No hour-or-so of recognition, no matter how packed with careful pomp and circumstance, can truly be the equal to the years of hard work that are being honored, Thomas’s ceremony, however, may be the most satisfactory one I have yet attended.


The venue, the gathering hall at Doubletree Ranch Park in Highland Village,  was perfect for a gorgeous autumn day. It is especially gratifying when Mother Nature smiles on our plans and offers so fine an afternoon on which to celebrate. The gathering hall, fashioned from concrete block to look like dressed stone, has open roof trusses reminiscent of some English cathedral. It is nearly as high as it is long and the effect is suitably ceremonial for an occasion such as this. The hall was filled with tables for eight of ten folks, covered with red or blue and featuring an eagle-themed centerpiece, and each table was filled with guests, perhaps 100 in all.

The ceremony was well organized without feeling in any way stressful and that is a neat trick. Thomas invited a number of Scouters to participate. Some, such as Richard Covington, Mark DiCiaccio (who served as the day’s Master of Ceremonies), and I have been past leaders of the troop. Others, such as Mr. Kral and Mr. Lampe are current ones. Our Eagle Coordinator, Dennis Goodrich spoke as well, as did Kevin Bryant.  I suspect that many of the others also appreciated the nicely-prepared script, each page in an easy-to-turn sheet protector in a three-ring binder. Importantly, the text was printed in a reasonably large font! The result of this preparation is that the script lay flat and was easy to read and this doubtless helped each speaker do an admirable job. I mention this as a point for future Eagles to bear in mind when preparing for their own ceremonies.

Thomas’s friend, Benjamin Arnold called the Flag Ceremony, with Ellis Covington, Kaleb DiCiaccio, Nick Harris, and James Koonce serving as the Color Guard. It is fitting that the ceremony celebrating a Scout’s attainment of Scouting’s highest rank should open with a prayer, offered by Mr. Lampe, and the Pledge of Allegiance, as these remind us of our duty to God and to Country.

Richard Covington told the assembled crowd a little about Scouting and the odds that a boy who starts the program will earn the highest rank - only 2 out of 100 do. After the Eagle Scout Challenge, our Committee Chair, Mark Lampe, described the Trail to Eagle. Kevin Bryant reviewed the Eagle rank requirements and how Thomas achieved them. As with every Eagle Scout, Thomas’s list was impressive and fills one with wonder and admiration that one so young can have accomplished so much.

The Color Guard doubled as Thomas’ Eagle Honor Guard and escorted him to the front of the hall. There, he was given the Eagle Charge. Then, joined by all the Eagle Scouts in attendance, adult and youth alike, Thomas recited the Eagle Scout Promise, pledging his sacred honor to accept the duties and obligations of an Eagle Scout.

Richard Covington and Mark DiCiaccio presented Thomas with his Eagle neckerchief and his Eagle badge. They also presented Thomas with the Eagle Certificate, signed by the Chief Scouter and by the President of the United States, and a United States Flag that has flown over the Capitol building in honor of Thomas’s elevation to Eagle Scout.

As is fitting, Thomas’s mother, Tipi, was recognized with the award of a miniature Eagle pin, as was his father, Darryl. Thomas also chose to recognize the love and support of his grandparents, to whom he also awarded Eagle pins. This was a unique and touching moment, further ensuring that this was an especially memorable ceremony. Truly, no one earns the rank of Eagle all by themselves. The love and support of family are crucial, as is the support of friends and of the community.

Thomas made brief remarks and focused on his gratitude to all who had contributed in ways great and small to his successful completion of the journey to this day. He awarded Mentor Pins to his first Scout Master, Mr. DiCiaccio, and to a person who, while not a Scouter, had a profound influence on his success. He also awarded a posthumous Mentor pin to his other grandfather, whose older sister accepted it in his stead. This was another touching element of the afternoon.

Each of these details, thoughtfully attended to, was small by itself yet, together, they made important contributions to the success of the event. However, a big reason for my feeling of satisfaction with this particular ECoH was the participation of our Lone Star Dance Team, which has been a significant part of Thomas's Scouting career, as it has been for so many others of our Troop 451 Eagle Scouts. Membership in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say has helped to keep so many of our Scouts engaged and continuing to work towards their Eagle goal.

I hope having the Dance Team perform at an Eagle Court of Honor will be the start of a 'tradition' we will see more often. I love to see our Tribesmen in Regalia, performing the traditional dances and it seemed so fitting a way for his fellow Dance Team Members to honor Thomas's participation with the Tribe and the Team. 

The performance started with the Ribbon Dance, followed by the Warrior’s Dance. The Eagle Dance, appropriately, wrapped up the dancing.

After the dancing, Richard, in the role of Medicine Man Big Iron Wheel, and Mark, as Sachem Three Lakes, awarded Thomas his red Eagle Coup for his Mic-O-Say claws, with the charge that they should grace them before the next sunrise. It was a fine moment to see and a nice addition to the Eagle ceremony.

Many thanks go out to our Dancers. If memory serves, they were Brandt Goodrich, Will Harris, Kevin Koonce, and, Chad Kral, and to our Tom Tom crew, Ellis Covington, Kaleb DiCiaccio, and James Koonce. What a great way to honor your fellow Scout!

Everyone did a great job and discharged their duties in a sharp, smooth manner. Today’s Eagle Court of Honor was a fitting recognition of a fine Scouting career, capped by earning Scouting's highest award, the rank of Eagle Scout. Congratulations, Thomas!

After Mr. Lampe pronounced the Benediction and made some closing remarks, those in attendance were treated to fine Texas barbecue. This afforded us the opportunity to visit with one another, offer our personal congratulations to Thomas and his family, and enjoy one more aspect of a great afternoon of Scouting.

All-in-all, a great ceremony.