WWII Vets Project Earns Newtown Square Scout National Recognition
By Mark Abrams
NEWSTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (CBS) -- A Newtown Square teenager soared to the rank of Eagle Scout, and the special project that helped get him there has earned him national recognition.
Joe Blaisse, 17, of Troop 315, sponsored by Saint Anastasia Church in Newtown Square, Pa., joined forces with Honor Flight Philadelphia to help some 150 World War II veterans from the region travel to Washington DC.
The junior at Archbishop Carroll High School recruited them for what he called one final mission: a trip to recognize their service and accompany them on a visit to monuments, including a stop at the World War II memorial.
"I did see multiple people wearing their actual uniforms that they then again fit in," Blaisse said. "Also, people wearing their hats, and we saw one man - their unit is allowed to wear Hawaiian shirts with their information on them to signify that they were a Pearl Harbor survivor."
Word of the project reached the American Legion which named Blaisse its national Eagle Scout of the year.
He also was recognized as the Legion's Pennsylvania Eagle Scout of the year and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Pennsylvania Scout of the Year.
Blaisse says the recognition is humbling.
"We're all given the same rank. It's just how well you exemplify what it means."