Scout uniform fades differences

[fgoodwin 23]

Scout uniform fades differences

 

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/atoz/article_1149300.php

http://tinyurl.com/gto5s

 

Four youths, each of a separate religion, bond over outdoor get-togethers and character-building activities in a Mission Viejo troop.

 

By MARK EADES

The Orange County Register

Saturday, May 20, 2006

 

MISSION VIEJO Religious distinctions can be the source of a lot of strife in the world today, but for four Eagle Scouts friendship is more important.

 

Meet Amyn Shidi Jr., Daryl Davis, Geoff Leach and Tyler Barron Eagle Scouts with four different faiths.

 

Shidi is Muslim, Davis is Jewish, Leach is a Lutheran and Barron is Catholic.

 

Despite the religious differences, they became the best of friends while spending 10 years together earning their Eagle Awards.

 

The "Four Amigos," as they call themselves, started as Tiger Cubs in 1995, when they met Geoff's dad, Rick Leach, the Scoutmaster. As they advanced to Boy Scouts and joined Troop 321 of Mission Viejo, Rick stayed with them, leading them throughout the entire 10-year journey.

 

While some may let religion get in the way of getting along, the boys feel differently.

 

"People shouldn't get hung up on the different religions," Shidi said.

 

"It's not about religion," Davis said. "It's about being friends."

 

"It's about character and who you are," Geoff Leach said.

 

"We're good friends," Barron said. "Religion shouldn't matter. People should matter."

 

Along the way they've been on numerous camp-outs together, including the National Jamboree, hiked hundreds of miles and earned 152 merit badges among them. Sometimes the journey had some rough bumps.

 

"There were times when I didn't want to do it," Davis said. "I was ready to quit a couple of times."

 

But they had their own support system, their friendship.

 

"It gets harder the more you move up in the ranks," Geoff Leach said. "But we kept pushing and helping each other."

 

They all agreed that wanting to hang out together at Scout meetings helped, along with the occasional "bonding" activities at camp.

 

"Amyn and Geoff were in a canoe on a lake one morning," Rick Leach said. "The water was as smooth as glass. I turned around. When I turned back around the canoe had overturned."

 

"I don't know why it overturned," Geoff Leach said. "Amyn's a good swimmer, and we got everything out of the water OK. We're lucky none of the sleeping bags were ours."

 

One time they went to the Boy Scouts' Lost Valley campground right after a forest fire had swept through the place.

 

"It was barren, and there were still hot spots," Shidi said. "We went around them and planted a bunch of trees."

 

Sometimes they'll just hang out at one another's houses and play cards - Geoff Leach is the best poker player, according to the others - or offer one another advice about girls.

 

"We're trying to help Amyn get a girlfriend," Barron said as the others laughed and Shidi briskly shook his head.

 

The guys agree on who is the best-dressed (Barron) and geekiest (Geoff Leach) and that their Eagle community-service project was the hardest thing they had to do.

 

"We probably killed a couple of trees with all the paperwork we had to do documenting the Eagle project," Shidi said.

 

But in the end they stuck together until each earned his Eagle honor.

 

"You should definitely stick with it," Geoff Leach said. "It's about commitment."

 

"It took a lot of work, but it was worth it," Shidi said. "We've been together 10 years. Not a lot of people can say that."

 

Will they continue as friends? Though they are all now more than 16 years old and more concerned with girls and getting their driver's licenses, the man who led them on their journey thinks they will.

 

"There are less than a handful of people that you'll keep in touch with the rest of your life," Rick Leach said. "These boys will because of their accomplishment and because they're friends."

 

"We started together and finished together," Barron said. "That's something special."

 

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Four scouts

 

Amyn H. Shidi Jr.

 

Residence: Wagon Wheel

 

Parents: Amyn Sr. and Patsy Shidi

 

Date of Eagle Award: Nov. 17

 

Court of Honor: April 9

 

Merit badges: 39

 

Eagle project: Designed, planned and constructed garden plots at Mission Viejo High Agricultural Farm. Raised more than $1,800 for materials and food.

 

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Daryl Davis

 

Residence: Mission Viejo

 

Parents: Alan and Diane Davis

 

Date of Eagle Award: Nov. 17

 

Court of Honor: April 23

 

Merit badges: 30

 

Eagle project: Designed, planned and built a fence line at Mission Viejo High Agricultural Farm.

 

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Geoff Leach

 

Residence: Mission Viejo

 

Parents: Rick and Kathy Leach

 

Date of Eagle Award: Feb. 24, 2005

 

Court of Honor: April 30, 2005

 

Merit badges: 43

 

Eagle project: Hillside beautification project at Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Mission Viejo. Removed weeds, overgrown bushes and trees, and planted ground cover.

 

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Tyler Barron

 

Residence: Mission Viejo

 

Parents: Frank and Doreen Barron

 

Date of Eagle Award: April 28, 2005

 

Court of Honor: March 19

 

Merit badges: 40

 

Eagle project: Coordinated adding a cement pathway and planted 10 trees at O'Neill Elementary School in Mission Viejo.