WRITTEN BY JOSHUA ARCHER
Over the summer, a young man from Aroostook County set out to earn Eagle Scout status by completing a community project to honor local veterans and the often overlooked K-9s who served.
After several years of hard work and with most of the necessary boxes ticked — merit badges, examples of leadership, etc. — Luke Gordon of Caribou had one final task to complete before he could submit to counsel that he was ready to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. All the 17-year-old scout had left was to organize and execute a community service project.
He set his sights on a small memorial park in Washburn, just outside where his troop, Troop 177, holds their regular meetings.
“I thought that it’d be beneficial and helpful because, Washburn, they might not have a lot, but what they do have is special,” Gordon said.
Gordon’s goal was to adorn Washburn’s Veterans Memorial Park with two new flag poles. One flag to honor Vietnam veterans and the other military working dogs.
“The Vietnam War was very big and controversial, and when I was looking at who I wanted to honor I saw the need to represent them at the park,” Gordon said. “And I think that the K-9s don’t get enough recognition for the tremendous amount of work they do.”
After multiple fundraisers, the three-month project pulled in upwards of $3,000 in donations and materials, thanks to the help of local businesses, fellow scouts, community members, family, and friends.
As Gordon worked on his service project, folks from around town who had either seen posts on social media about what he was up to or heard about it from loved ones were eager to walk right up to him and show their appreciation with words of thanks or by handing him cash.
“Family members of soldiers would walk up to me and be like, ‘Hey, I saw you on Facebook! My grandfather served and I wanna give you money! Thank you for what you’re doing!’ and they would hand me a $20 or a $50,” Gordon said.
He finished raising money, digging holes, pouring cement, and erecting the poles just days before Washburn’s annual August Festival, a time when folks come to celebrate the local area.
At the festival, in front of a large crowd of veterans and their families, Gordon raised the flags, and then stood before his accomplishment to read the names of 38 Aroostook County service members who died in the Vietnam war.
“I always thought Veterans Day was a time to appreciate the soldiers, but looking at it from the point I’m at today, after my project, it’s more than that. It’s a time of remembrance of all who served and what they sacrificed. All the people who died and even the ones who lived. They fought for our country, they fought for our freedom, and it’s good that they’re not being forgotten. And that years after, we’re still doing things like raising flags, holding dedications to remember their sacrifice, and the oath they gave to protect our country,” Gordon said.
With his Eagle Scout service project now complete, Gordon has submitted the final results to a district advancement committee. He said it could take some time to hear back while his efforts are under review, but he’s confident he’ll achieve Eagle Scout status before his 18th birthday next year.
“I just have to wait and be patient,” he said. “And after this project I’ll remember most of all the people who helped me and the impact it gave me, watching people during the festival look at the flags, talk about it, holding hands, that’s what I’ll remember.”