KETTERING, Ohio (WDTN) – As we prepare to honor those who served our country on Veterans Day, a local Boy Scout troop put in some hard work to clean up a memorial site in Kettering.
Every year before Veterans Day and Memorial Day, Boy Scout Troop 193 does a clean up service project at Victory Oak Knoll.
“It gives us a fresh perspective on what it means to be a scout,” Senior Patrol Leader George Vanderburgh said.
The memorial site stands next to the Dayton Golf Course and was dedicated in 1921. It contains an oak tree planted to memorialize all of the Montgomery County men and women who lost their lives serving in World War I.
For the troop, it’s a lesson in service and a lesson to honor those who served our country.
“It allows us to truly reflect on what we have now and what made that possible,” Vanderburgh said.
The Boy Scouts do several service projects throughout the year to give the scouts hands-on opportunities to make a difference in their community.
“It gives me a lot of hope, seeing young people wanting to serve and serve in ways that, again, it’s hands on and has a deep meaning as well,” Assistant Scout Master Jim Cunningham said.
When the scouts finish with projects like this one, they’ve gained life skills they can’t find anywhere else.
“I don’t think there’s anything that prepares them to be positive, contributing citizens like learning the things they do out here,” Assistant Scout Master Jonathan Thomas said.
Several of the troop’s Eagle Scout members have also done their special service projects at the site, including installing a permanent historical sign and a brick pathway.
