Troop 77 Scoutmaster was a Hero in Denmark,SC !!!

[Edhitow 10]

My Scoutmaster Stan Eubanks of Troop 77 was my Hero !!!

Each year about this time, many of us begin reflecting upon the birth of our wonderful nation back in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed by some very brave and bold men, both young and old, who knew of the dangers to them and their families and their fortunes for making such a bold declaration.

 

All of us had signers from our original states who we were taught about in our early civics classes. In my state they were the Rutledges and the Middletons. And in your state they equally as heroic. It seems that heroes were more plentiful when the colonies were at a point of rebellion from the British Empire and its royalty.

 

But most of us, during the courses of our lives, have also been touched in some way by the heroism of a local citizen. And in many cases in was someone whom we knew personally. These were ordinary people who when they saw the need as good citizens to perform extraordinary deeds for the unselfish benefit of their fellow men and women and their loving families came through in excellence of action. When I was a sixth grader in the local school system of Denmark, South Carolina, I was moved so greatly by the determined efforts of a fellow citizen by the name of Stanley Eubanks that his heroism has always been in the forefront of my mind. And every time I hear of someone in newsreports who has gone above and beyond the limits of what would be expected of the average person in a time of great need or danger; I continue to be reminded of the extra mile that "Stan" went for all of his fellow Denmark neighbors.

 

It happened that this unusual act of courage which was performed by "Stan" happened one Sunday afternoon on the front lawn of the Denmark High School which many of the residents of Denmark present to witness "Stan" doing what should have been done years before, but there was no one else who would take this responsibility upon themselves.

 

The problem in the Denmark School system had begun many years before in much the same way has happened time and again throughout America at the local level and unfortunately too many times on the national and international levels also. And it is always sad when there is no one to respond to the evil doings of those who have been given the trust and support of those of whom they are sworn to serve. We have recently seen how the world community has been deceived andliterally robbed by the Secretary General of the United Nations and his son in the "Oil for Food" scam. And so far this travesty still goes unpunished.

 

We not too long ago witnessed the President of the United States of America who took very lightly the oath of office to defend and support the Constitution of the US and how he perjured himself in violation of that oath. And it that case, those who were charged with bringing the proper justice in a US Senate trial fell down on their jobs for a lack of statesmanship and instead gave us in the nation the same old political backpedaling.

 

Well, that did not happen in Denmark, South Carolina, back when I was in middle school. When "Stan" realized that a terrible wrong would not be righted without his selfless actions; he took an amazing course of action which made front page headlines the next day in the state's largest news media and, of course, the inspiring story was picked up in many places around the nation.

 

What "Stan" did that Sunday afternoon with a court order in hand was to enter the office of the Denmark School system and with the help of some of his closest friends drag the enormous and prohibitively heavy official safe out onto the lawn. It was suspected that inside that safe was the evidence which would prove that the charges of wrong doing and embezzlement which had been aimed at the Superintendent of Education in Denmark were true.

 

Concerned parents and taxpayers for many years had attempted everything in their power to bring about an end to the criminal activities which were suspected, but because the Superintendent was firmly established in the circle of Denmark's society leaders; he was always protected by close associates and friends, who even though some of them were also suspicious, provided cover for him and those who were involved with him.

 

When "Stan" first became aware of possible wrong doing and literal thievery of the school districts finances he would attend PTA meetings and then school board meetings with questions about the rumored crimes. But to no avail. The Superintendent was too entrenched among the powerful in Denmark.

 

So "Stan" waited until there was a school board election and offered for a seat on the board. His platform in the campaign was that if elected he would seek a court order and examine the documents in the school's safe which the Superintendent had successfully denied access to for years.

 

Thankfully, there were enough voters who desired that the misdeeds be corrected and ended, that "Stan" won election to the official board. But since he could still not get a majority vote of his fellow board members to take a righteous action on the school's financial and criminal problems; he took the bull by the horns and obtained the long over due court order to open the documents to public view.

 

"Stan" made his living as the owner and operator of the town's most successful welding shop. If someone had anything that needed to be repaired of a metallic nature, then "Stan" was the man to seek help from. If someone had a mental picture of some tool or invention which would help life be a little better because of its construction, then "Stan" could also take care of that request.

 

And now that the principled and concerned citizens who had the problem of entering this large and secure steel repository of the official documents and records which would be sufficient to convict the criminal Superintendent of his evil deeds, once again "Stan" pulled out his welding equipment from his shop and cut through the sealed doors of the safe.

 

With the proof of the years of embezzlement by the office of the Superintendent of Denmark's schools now available, "Stan" had now provided the first hope in years of justice for the taxpayers.

 

The majority of the faculty members of the school announced a strike in support of their leader of many years. They were blinded to his wrong doing by their great devotion to him and his family who were very popular in this small community. Instead of supporting "Stan's" proper actions, they stood shoulder to shoulder with the criminal school official in his improper actions. They should have realized that there comes a time when enough is enough. But they didn't have the moral courage which "Stan" possessed and exhibited in such a heroic fashion as he burned his way through to a long overdue justice.

 

Denmark's school strike was newsworthy because of its very unusual nature. "Stan" Eubanks actions were praiseworthy because they were so extraordinary -- they were heroic and inspiring to those of us who were not so tied to the circle of Denmark's society leaders who in a real sense were those who were really responsible for the terrible black mark which would be on our school for many years.

 

"Stan's" actions in this case were not really surprising to those who knew of his many years of dedicated service as the Scoutmaster of Denmark's Troop 77 of the Boy Scouts of America. I am proud to say that I was member of that Troop 77 for all of the years that I was eligible.

 

That Boy Scout Troop instilled more morality, trustworthiness, and patriotism in me than all of the other influences of my life. "Stan" prepared much of the male population of Denmark for manhood and responsible citizenship in their future lives. If this world had more "Stan" Eubanks to inspire citizenship and patriotism in the youth of today then there would be more heroes to take their stands for righteous causes and to fill the moral vacuums which exist too often.

 

With more "Stan" the Scoutmasters there would not be the moral bankruptcies of the United Nations, the corrupted Clinton White House, and a weak kneed US Senate which too often folds in the face of moral pressure.

 

I just couldn't help but remembering the heroic and moral deeds of "Stan" the Scoutmaster when I heard the tragic news of the accidental deaths of the selfless Scoutmasters of the Boy Scouts National Jamboree 2005.

 

May God Continue to Bless the United States of America!!!

 

Eddie Hightower on the Right!

 

 

 

eedyedgar at 6:28:00 PM EDT (Link to this entry)