A flock of eagles

Grant Lattin Sr. can brag about a lot of things in his life.

He received a master's degree in elementary education and a law degree. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps. Lattin is also serving as a Prince William County School board member and is the proud father of nine children.

But there is one thing his kids have over him. Youngest son Jacob recently became the sixth boy in his family to achieve Eagle Scout status, an honor never bestowed on Lattin Sr.

Oldest son Grant Jr. laughed when he realized this, saying there were plenty of other things to be competi-tive about in their family than to tease their father about his missing hardware.

An Oregon native and Lake Ridge resident, Grant Sr. stopped five merit badges short due to the fact that his family had moved to an area where the scout troop was not centered on rank advancement.

"I lived in a small rural town and when we went to [live in] the Portland area, it took me awhile to get resettled," said Grant Sr., who works as an attorney for the U.S. Navy. "By the time I did, I just didn't get back involved."

But dad's illustrious career ended up serving as a great example for all his children to follow, said Grant Jr., now a radiologist at Andrews Air Force Base.

"He encouraged us to set goals, to strive for something greater than mediocrity," Grant Jr. said. "He said if you do scouts, you might as well go all the way."

As Lattin launched into his military career, mother Bobbie held the fort down as a stay-at-home mom. From providing encouragement and ideas to driving the children to camp sites, she was instrumental in the children achieving their Eagle Scout awards.

In order to receive Eagle status, they must achieve 21 merit badges (10 of them assigned, 11 of them of your own choosing). Afterwards, they need to complete a final project that can take months to organize and finish.

"I think the credit goes to both my parents, but maybe my mom more so than anyone," Grant Jr. said. "She ...was the behind-the-scene force that encouraged us, drove us to day-to-day activities that scouting offers."

Jacob, 14, completed his final project in the spring and was scheduled to be awarded his Eagle Scout badge last weekend with all his brothers in tow. As his final project, he chose to build and place nesting boxes for Eastern Bluebirds at a field adjacent to a Dominion Power plant in Possum Point near Dumfries.

Jacob had done research on the animal on the Internet, discovering that it was losing its natural habitat because of logging and development.

To accomplish this task, Jacob had to find companies to donate materials to make the boxes, then get per-mission to place them. Finally, he had to assemble volunteers to help build the boxes, place them and then provide an assessment of the project with before and after photos.

"I have worked really hard to get to this point and for it to finally be here, it's kind of a shock," said Jacob, a self-proclaimed animal lover. "...When I started, it seemed so far off."

Jacob followed in the footsteps of Grant Jr., Joshua, Samuel, Daniel and Joseph, saying he wants to achieve the same success as his big brothers. Initially, that was not the case for 18-year-old Joseph.

Now a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Joseph said he was more into sports when he started Cub Scouts at age 8. However, he saw how much fun his brothers were having and decided to spend time away from the athletic arena to get his Eagle Scout award.

Joseph's project involved building benches for parents to sit near the Hedges Run entrance to Lake Ridge Elementary School.

His project coincided with the school's Parent Teacher Association's beautification plan. Joseph said the project helped him build confidence in dealing with people.

"It [the project] was definitely gratifying," Joseph said. "... I was a pretty shy kid, so asking for things on the phone was a little hard at first."

Grant Jr. said the confidence and leadership skills learned in the Boy Scouts has served him well in his professional life and when he served his Mormon mission in Okinawa, Japan from 1994 to 1996.

"Those were perhaps the best two years of my life," said Grant Jr. "A lot of the skills I learned in Boys Scouts, leadership and interpersonal skills, I was definitely able to use on my mis-sion."

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.