Mackos takes flight with brother Eagles
By Diane C. Beaudoin Journal Correspondent

One Townsend family now has four sons who soar with the eagles. Eagle Scouts that is.

During the last weekend of February, an honor court was held for Joshua Mackos, the youngest of the brothers and the fourth and final family member to have achieved the elite rank.

Joshua's Eagle Scout project was the toughest one of all the Mackos's endeavors, according to their mother, Denise.

"Joshua cut a trail on some conservation land on Lunenburg Road. There was absolutely nothing there when he started, but he got it done," she said proudly.

Brothers Nicholos, 22, Christopher, 20, and Matthew, 17, all preceded Joshua, according to Denise, and he had to follow in their footsteps.

"Our family has been involved in scouting forever, and it's been the best thing for all of us," she said.

Joshua is a member of Troop 10, Townsend Congregational Church and has been a Boy Scout for five years now.

His brothers all did outdoor projects to earn their Eagle badge, so Joshua's fit right in.

"Nicholos built picnic tables for the VFW Pavilion, Chris worked on the Life Course around the Hawthorne Brook Middle School, and Matt re-furbished the fencing around the town common. They are all very ambitious projects," Denise said.

The simple fact that a boy is an Eagle Scout has a history of special significance, not only in scouting, but in higher education, business and industry, and also community service. The award is a performance based achievement, with only five percent of all scouts making the grade.

To earn the rank of Eagle, the scout must fulfill requirements in areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills, and earn a series of at least 21 merit badges. Of these, 12 badges are required, including First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation and the World, Communications, Environmental Science, Personal Fitness, Personal Management, Camping and Family Life.

Denise said her husband Anthony is not an Eagle Scout, but that did not deter her sons' interests in scouting.

"There is a lot of peer pressure in schools, and scouting is not always considered popular. However if a family stays strong, and the boys work hard, we all get through it," she added.

The Mackos family sees scouting as a wonderful experience, something that is interactive for all the members.

"Sports have a place, but with scouting, the parents are directly involved, the whole family can get involved. It is a very interactive thing to do, and we all get a lot out of it. The boys learn leadership, something that is needed. It is a wonderful program, a long haul, but a wonderful program," she said.

Joshua now has joined the ranks of such other men as Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States; producer Steven Spielberg; newsman Walter Cronkite; and astronauts Neil Armstrong and James Lovell.

"We are very proud of all the boys. They have all achieved what they set out to do," Denise said.