The Española Valley’s newest Eagle Scouts echoed a similar message after they accepted medals for earning Boys Scouts’ highest honor.
“They will always be my brothers,” Miguel Carlos Romero, of Velarde, said.
Romero was speaking of the other five members of Troop 425 based in Santa Cruz who have become Eagle Scouts in recent years. The group has been together for over a decade and their shared experiences culminated May 22 at a ceremony held in front of dozens of relatives and friends at the Oñate Center in Alcalde to honor the Troop’s four newest Eagle Scouts.
Besides Romero, the other new Eagle Scouts honored were: Evren Gonzales, of Chimayó; Josh Fresquez, of La Mesilla; and Jared Herrera, of Española. These four joined brothers Juan Antonio and Francisco Vigil, who had previously been awarded Eagle Scout medals.
Juan Antonio Vigil ushered in this era of Eagle Scouts in 2006 when he began his Eagle Scout project and later became the first member of the Troop in over 30 years to earn the Scouts’ top honor. For his project, he beautified the Desert Storm memorial in Española.
Since then the aspiring Eagle Scouts have cleaned up and renovated cemeteries in Velarde and Santa Cruz and the scout room at Holy Cross Catholic Church, donated computers to students in need and most recently built a couple of additions for the Wildlife Center in Arroyo Seco.
“An Eagle Scout has done it all,” Juan Antonio Vigil said. “To become an Eagle Scout you can’t quit.”
The new Eagle Scouts credited their fellow Scouts, their parents and the Troop’s leaders for helping them to reach their goal.
Pushing the Scouts the hardest to earn this honor were the Vigil’s parents, Duane and Dolores Vigil. The pair have helped lead the Troop since 1996 and watched the Scouts grow from boys into young men, Dolores Vigil said.
“I’m just so proud of these boys,” she said through tears. “They’re all givers.”
Gonzales is the youngest of the new Eagle Scouts and helped build a pergola and a butchering station this past year for the Wildlife Center for his project.
Gonzales believes being an Eagle Scout will help him throughout his life and his career in the military.
“It provides the underlying basis for what I want to do with my life,” he said.
Duane Vigil reflected on the Troop’s camaraderie and hoped their camping trips would not end despite the Scouts moving on in life.
“We’ve had a lot of fun,” he said.
For more information about Troop 425, call Scoutmaster Dolores Vigil at 927-0717.