Eagle Scout doesn't let obstacles stop him

For 18-year-old Robert Bruin, attaining the title of Eagle Scout earlier this month showed everyone who doubted him, including a Boy Scout troop, that he was no quitter.

Bruin, of Roosevelt, who was asked to leave one troop but resumed scouting with another, reached the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America. He is the second Eagle Scout in the eight-year history of Troop 300, which calls itself "Hempstead's Best."

"It felt real good," said Bruin, who has been a scout for seven years. "I felt like the hard work really paid off. Now, I see how much of a big deal it [reaching Eagle Scout] is and what it means to other people and myself."

During the May 21 ceremony at St. George's Episcopal Church in Hempstead, Bruin cried as he was presented a flag, a medal and a badge that recognized his accomplishments as an Eagle Scout. More than 70 people joined him at the ceremony where he also received more than 20 citations, plaques and awards from government officials, he said.

"I am a person of integrity and I am a hard worker," said Bruin, who just completed his freshman year and is an honor student at Claflin University in South Carolina. "Failure is not an option and I overcame a lot of obstacles."

In 2009, Bruin left Troop 2025 in Merrick after six years when the scout master said he didn't participate enough, Bruin said. Determined to reach Eagle Scout, he joined Troop 300 in Hempstead.

"He decided that he wasn't going to quit, he was going to work hard and he was going to make it," said his mother, Beverly Bruin-Reddic, 52.

After he met the requirements, including obtaining 21 merit badges, Bruin went before the Eagle Scout review board in January, presented his Eagle Project and was unanimously approved as an Eagle Scout.

For his Eagle Scout project, Bruin and two troop mates, along with two adult volunteers and a number of local businesses, last August built a new lounge area at Centennial Elementary School, where his brother, Cameron Reddic, 11, attended classes. The lounge featured plants, two water fountains, handmade benches, a rocking chair and indoor rock garden.

"When I have my own kids, I will make sure that they are Boy Scouts as well," Bruin said.