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Fallen officer will be remembered

New Boy Scout troop bears Justin Martin’s badge number

There can’t be many Messenger readers who aren’t aware of the important contribution Scouting makes to the education and character development of American boys and young men.

The Boy Scouts of America — incorporated on Feb. 8, 1910, and chartered by Congress in 1916 — according to its mission statement strives “to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes.”

That makes it especially appropriate that a new Boy Scout troop being formed to serve the Southeast Valley School District area will honor fallen Urbandale Officer Justin Martin by using as its numerical designation his badge number. Those Scouts who will be members of Boy Scout Troop 1140 will always be reminded of Martin’s dedication to serving the community. He grew up in Rockwell City and was killed in the line of duty in 2016. It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate example of so much of what Scouting embodies.

“He was an Eagle Scout. His dad is the troop leader in Rockwell City,” Scoutmaster Jeremy Viles told The Messenger this week. “Both him and his dad were extremely active in Boy Scouts, so we thought it was a fitting thing to use his number for the troop number.”

The Messenger heartily agrees and applauds this excellent decision.

Even though Scouting in America has been around for more than a century, the lessons it teaches about character, citizenship and personal fitness are as valuable now as they were in decades past. Martin’s inspiration should help the young folks who will be Scouts in Troop 1140 become part of that powerful tradition.

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