There’s something to be said for the Boy Scouts of America.

And there’s something to be said for a young man from Crenshaw County who saw a need in a local community and fulfilled that need—a patriotic need.

Jonathan Burt, the son of Eddie and Linda Burt of Luverne, was pinned as an Eagle Scout on Sunday, June 28, at Live Oak United Methodist Church in a special ceremony. Being an Eagle Scout is the highest level that can be achieved, and not many Boy Scouts go on to do just that.

Burt, who joined the Tiger Cubs at age six, continued on into the Cub Scouts, and then into the Boy Scouts at age 11. Over the next seven years, Burt gained the rankings of Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and finally, the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

”You have to have 27 merit badges and go through the Eagle Scout project and then go through a Board of Review with representatives from Montgomery who talk to you about your project,” Burt explained. “Then, they determine whether you’ve achieved Eagle Scout or not.”

For his Eagle Scout project, Burt decided to put up a flagpole surrounded by a bricked-in flower bed in front of the Petrey Community Center.

“They have a fire department there, and they have a July 4th celebration every year, and they say the Pledge of Allegiance and shoot fireworks, but they had no flag to pledge to during the July 4th celebration,” Burt said.

He completed his project on June 9, and was soon notified of his completion of the Eagle Scout status.

“Scholarship money for college is available for those who attain Eagle Scout status,” Burt said, “but since I’m going into the Coast Guard, I’ll automatically go in as an E-3 because I’m an Eagle Scout.”

Burt, who is a 2009 graduate of Crenshaw Christian Academy, left July 12 for the United States Coast Guard, and will be in New Jersey for a total of eight weeks for boot camp.

Burt gave some advice for young boys coming up in school—join the Boy Scouts.

“I really liked all the different stuff we did at the summer camps,” he said. “It kind of has something to do with me going into the Coast Guard because you have the different ranks, and it teaches discipline…I think I’ve gained a whole lot from it in my life already.”