For Charles Fearn, being an Eagle Scout has been an honor thathe could share with his father, David Fearn, and his brother, AndyFearn.

“For my family, this is a big deal,” he said. “My dad and mybrother were both Eagle Scouts, but for me it’s also an honorbecause I’ve been in it so long, and I’ve stuck with it for 10years.”

But Saturday night, Charles Fearn and four others from Troop 119hit another milestone when they were formally presented their EagleScout badges in a ceremony at First United Methodist Church.

“This is the transition, this is the goodbye,” said Scout MasterJoe Fernald. “This is where we acknowledged that they have done thework, and we turn them out into the world.”

Ethan Boutwell said the rite of passage is just the beginning ofwhat will be a lifelong connection.

“I’ve been working all my life on this award, and when you’re anEagle Scout, it’s a brotherhood,” he said. “Everywhere you go, whenyou meet another Eagle Scout it’s an instant bond.”

The boys all worked on Eagle Scout projects that would betterthe community in order to reach the final ceremony, Fernaldsaid.

Filling a need cited by Brookhaven Recreation Departmentofficials, Boutwell built benches for the workout stations at CityPark, where people can rest or watch during walking and workoutsessions at the park. Fearn, in similar fashion, made benches forthe spray parks at City Park and Bicentennial Park.

Robert Ledet created an obstacle course for children involved inthe Freedom Reins program to ride their horses through.

“I’m really proud of it,” he said. “I’m so proud to have helpedin that way.”

Patrick Oster, whose two older brothers Marcus and Nicholas werealso Eagle Scouts before him, made gift bags for children under thecare of the Department of Human Services. The bags included stuffedanimals, crayons, coloring books and other goodies.

Oster said he found it to be an important project because thechildren involved are often facing the worst time of theirlives.

“That’s why I put in the stuffed animals, because it’s somethingto make them feel better, to get their mind off it a little bit,”he said. “It makes me feel good to know I helped someone goingthrough a bad time, and that I don’t have to wonder if I helped ornot. I know I did.”

Walker Minter’s project is visible to anyone flying overBrookhaven, as he painted an eight-point blue and white compassrose on the tarmac at Brookhaven Municipal Airport. He said thethought that anyone who passes over the city can see it from thesky wasn’t something he’d thought too hard about … yet.

“It makes me want to go clean it, because I bet it’s prettydirty about now,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fernald said the boys are now adults insofar as theBoy Scouts of America are concerned.

“Now they’re adults,” Fernald said. “They’ve been with me forabout seven years now. They’ve gone from being little boys to youngleaders now, and they’re all fine people.”