Ed Avila of Kimball, with the help of his mother, wrote a powerful and memorable essay 56 years ago about why he loves America. His essay, which was part of a national Cub Scout/Boy Scout contest, was chosen as one of the winners among tens of thousands of entries. Unfortunately, much of the award was destroyed in 1976 when a fire burned down his parents’ mobile home. A fireman, though, found the medallion among the rubble and gave it to Avila, who had the medallion restored to almost like-new condition at a local jewelry store. Avila then was in awe earlier this year when one of his neighbors built a new base and flag pole and mounted the medallion to it, making it look like the original award. The award has significant meaning to Avila because it represents his deep love for the United States and its military, and it also represents a special, memorable experience he shared with his mother, Violet Avila of Scottsbluff, whom he’s always admired and drawn inspiration from.
JEFF FIELDER Editor
KIMBALL – At the same time Ed Avila joined Cub Scouts in 1962 as an 8-year-old, his mother, Violet, joined the program, too, as a Den 9 Mother.
She was eager to spend quality time with her son, helping him and the other Cub Scouts have fun while learning new skills and gaining lifelong memories. Violet volunteered as a Den 9 Mother for five years.
“Mom always wanted to be a good mentor to me, and she was amazing at organizing activities – like the blue and gold banquets – to make it a great experience for all the scouts,” said Ed, who’s 66 now and still lives in Kimball. “I really admired her for the time and effort she put in to help me and the other scouts.”
There was one project in particular that Ed remembers fondly. It was the time his mom helped him write an essay for a national Cub Scout/Boy Scout contest in 1964. Participants had to explain why they loved America.
“There was a lot of patriotic essence in the air at that time,” Ed said. “It was the year after President Kennedy was assassinated, and the world was kind of in turmoil. The scout organization wanted to make sure that their young people embraced patriotism, so that’s why they did that national patriotic essay contest.”
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