John Aldridge has been a member of the BoyScouts for about 45 years, both as an adult anda child.As district advancement chairman,his goal is to get Scouts to become Eagle Scouts.
John Aldridge, 68, has dedicated his life to two things — the U.S. Air Force and the Boy Scouts.
The New Iberia resident spent 26 years in the Air Force and had destinations all over the world, including the Yokota Air Base in Japan and the Bergstrom Air Base in Austin, Texas, and has spent 45 years in the Boy Scouts, both as a Scout and as an adult leader.
As an adult, Aldridge’s supervisor on the airbase in Texas was a Boy Scout project officer. The district executive officer happened to be Bill Stout of New Iberia.
“I got his number and called him up,” Aldridge said. “Bill used to be in my patrol, so it was a little reunion.”
Aldridge was assistant Scoutmaster of a troop on base in 1996 and a Scoutmaster of another troop on base in 1997.
Since 1974, Aldridge said he has stayed connected to the Boy Scouts in some capacity — as Boy Scout manager, chapter advisor or Order of the Arrow lodge advisor.
When Aldridge was stationed in Japan, he was the OA lodge advisor for Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan.
“I reached them by telephone,” he said. “I coordinated with them and the activities and functions they had.”
Aldridge returned to New Iberia in 1993 and became involved with Troop 17, the troop he was in as a boy.
“It’s near the house and I felt some loyalty to it,” he said.
Aldridge is the advancement chairman for Troop 17, the district advancement chairman and the Order of the Arrow chapter advisor.
His goal is to ensure the boys become Eagle Scouts.
“Since Ididn’t make Eagle, I wanted to make sure the other Scouts have the opportunity to make Eagle,” he said. “I’ve seen where it doors have opened for people who make Eagle.”
Aldridge was talking to a Scout’s father the other day whose son applied for a job and said he was an Eagle Scout. The boss walked by, Aldridge said, saw the application and said, “Hire him.”
“When you do Eagle, you have to plan,develop and carry out a project and get others to help you,” Aldridge said. “So that tells you that they’re able to flourish and accomplish tasks without a lot of assistance. They can arrange it, develop it and carry it out.”
Duane Guilbeau of New Iberia, a parent of a Boy Scout and Troop 17 treasurer, has known Aldridge for about two years and said Aldridge is “very involved” with the Scouts.
“He’s very interested in the kids’ progress or advancement through the ranks,” Guilbeau said. “He’s persistent when it comes to advancement. He’s not hounding the kids but he’s always reminding them if they finishrequirements, to tell himso he can document it and get the kids moving through the ranks.”
Guilbeau said Aldridge offers words of encouragement for the Scouts. Last year, Troop 17 had an Eagle Scout ceremonyfor 16 Scouts who made Eagle in the course of a year or a year and ahalf, Guilbeau said.
“A lot of troops will have one Eagle in five years,” he said. “Troop 17 is incredibly motivated to have the kids advance to Eagle Scouts.”
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