Salute for a job well done

Earlier this month, Joe Coco stepped down as scoutmaster of Whitefish Boy Scout Troop 17, after nearly five years of service. It is difficult to express the love and respect that is felt for him by our troop's boys.

Mr. Coco's stated mission is that Troop 17 "is dedicated to the spiritual, mental, social and physical development of boys for the purpose of creating mighty men of character and service." He, along with assistant scoutmaster Rod Samdahl, who has been Joe's indispensable right-hand man almost every step of the way, has striven to meet this challenge by teaching the boys leadership, morality, respect, teamwork, self-respect and self-reliance.

During Mr. Coco's tenure as scoutmaster his boys have attended more than 200 troop meetings and have been challenged by at least 65 camping and high adventure activities. That's at least one camp out a month each and every month for almost five years.

These activities included extreme winter camping in snow domes, when temperatures reached 35 below zero without accounting for wind; braving a severe February blizzard on Marias Pass while digging and sleeping in snow caves; and weekend long treks when the boys are allowed to carry only 15 pounds of equipment; navigating the Missouri and Kootenai rivers; and week-long treks traversing the Beartooth Mountains.

His boys have learned to scuba dive, rock climb, navigate in the winter with a compass, canoe and kayak, shoot rifles, backpack, fish, water-ski, and cross-country and downhill ski, just to name a few skills. To say that his boys are tough is an understatement.

However, it's not just their bodies he has improved, but their minds as well. Each boy goes through regular leadership training as well as financial, moral, spiritual, religious and personal management instruction.

If we were pressed to choose one quality that the boys best retain after their association with Mr. Coco, it would be character. The character of the young men he has molded has manifested itself in many ways. Through community service, his scouts have improved parks and trails, built playgrounds, refitted a high school theater, assisted in fish conservation projects, contributed to a community time capsule, participated in numerous community cleanups, provided color guards for local events and provided landscaping, a patio and barbecue for a local church.

His troop has produced two Eagle Scouts so far, both of whom are now in college, one on a full scholarship and the other at an Ivy League university. Four more boys are expected to become Eagle Scouts in the next few months. Just this summer, three of his scouts were chosen to represent the United States at an international scouting jamboree in Japan, with almost all expenses paid. What makes this so impressive is that despite stiff competition, these three, all from Troop 17, were among only 32 scouts from across the United States who were chosen.

It seems to us that individuals like this too often go unnoticed except by those who are directly affected. We want everyone to know what this man has done for us, our community and our nation. He will be sorely missed. Thank you Mr. Coco. Job well done.

From the scouts, leaders and parents of Troop 17.