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When we celebrate Flag Day, it is fitting to recognize the Scouts and leaders who help preserve and share the traditions and values represented by our nation’s flag. Earlier this month, Scouts from Carmel, Indiana Troop 733 demonstrated the proper display, handling, and care of the American flag in preparation for the upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding. The presentation served as both an educational opportunity and a meaningful reminder of the respect owed to one of our country’s most enduring symbols.

Congratulations to Eagle Scout, NCAA Champion, and now NBA champion Josh Hart, who helped lead the New York Knicks to their first league title since 1973. The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the Finals, closing out the series with a 94-90 Game 5 victory on the road. Hart is the third Eagle Scout to become an NBA champion.

Congratulations to Sawyer Nelsen of Troop 12 for leading a major conservation project on Ramstein Air Base in Germany! Sawyer organized and directed a team of Scouts, family members, and adult volunteers to remove approximately 2 dozen Japanese knotweed plants, an invasive species that threatens native ecosystems through its aggressive underground growth.

One of the most important lessons Scouting teaches is service to others, and that lesson begins at a young age. Recently in West Virginia, Cub Scout Pack 52 in Monongalia County put that principle into action by volunteering at Cheat Lake Elementary School, where the pack has been connected for more than five decades. The Scouts spent the day repainting hopscotch courts, four-square courts, basketball court lines, and other playground features that students will enjoy for years to come.

The impact of Scouting is often measured not in years, but in decades. Mike Cichanowski, founder and CEO of Wenonah Canoe and recipient of Cotter High School’s 2026 Alumni Achievement Award, exemplifies how a passion discovered in Scouting can grow into a lifetime of leadership, innovation, and service.

This is one of those Eagle Scout service projects that stops you for a moment. In Endicott, New York, Life Scout Schuyler Savage recently dedicated the Broome County Crime Victims Memorial, a project shaped by personal loss and built to serve his community. After losing his mother, Tess Savage, to domestic violence, Schuyler began working on something that would carry meaning far beyond himself. He envisioned a place where families could remember loved ones, reflect on their lives, and find comfort in shared memories.

National Internet Safety Month is observed each June to raise awareness about online risks and promote responsible digital citizenship among youth, parents, and communities. Scouting America is proud to support this important effort through its partnership with Know2Protect, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s national public awareness campaign focused on preventing and combating online child exploitation and abuse.

A mother was saved by her son after she began choking during a family dinner. Years later, she was there to watch him achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. Scouting alum Andrew Yakubesan reflects on how skills learned through Scouting prepared him for that moment, when he could respond quickly and provide assistance when it mattered most.

An all-girl Scouts BSA troop in Livermore, California, is helping showcase how Scouting has expanded opportunities for young women since girls were officially welcomed into the program in 2019. Troop 2942, which meets at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, is one of the few stand-alone female troops in the region. Many longtime Scouting alumni are still unaware that girls can now fully participate in Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA programs.

Joshua Myers of Troop 69 in Germany, part of the Transatlantic Council of Scouting America, recently wrapped up an Eagle Scout service project that will continue helping military families for years to come. Working with Operation Deploy Your Dress in Landstuhl, Joshua organized volunteers and led the move into a larger permanent space. The project included building changing rooms, moving hundreds of formal dresses and suits, and setting up a shop where military families can find free attire for proms, military balls, and special occasions.

Scouting is full of traditions, and one of the oldest unfolds every summer on Michigan’s Mackinac Island. The Mackinac Island Scout Service Program is now underway for the season on Mackinac Island, continuing a legacy that began in 1929 when future President Gerald Ford was part of the first troop. Often known as the Governor’s Honor Guard, selected Scouts from across Michigan take part in a highly competitive program.

I never earned the Oceanography Merit Badge. But I took an oceanography class in college, and that class—along with the professor who taught it—inspired me to major in geology. Later in life, I came to understand that the oceanography class had made a major difference in my life, and that a good merit badge counselor, like a good professor, can inspire young people and help them explore subjects that may ultimately change their lives. In early 2020, just before COVID, I was asked to serve as a merit badge counselor for my district’s merit badge college. The organizer explained that, in addition to the standard Eagle-required merit badges, they wanted to offer merit badges that Scouts do not often have the opportunity to earn. I agreed to teach the Oceanography Merit Badge.