2 Big Island Boy Scouts get their wings

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Noah Hong, a member of Boy Scout Troop 23 in Hilo, and Phillip Palmore of Troop 42 in Mountain View achieved Scouting’s highest award during recent Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremonies hosted by their respective troops.

Noah Hong, a member of Boy Scout Troop 23 in Hilo, and Phillip Palmore of Troop 42 in Mountain View achieved Scouting’s highest award during recent Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremonies hosted by their respective troops.

Hong’s Eagle Scout service project consisted of constructing railings and a gate at Hilo Hongwanji Preschool’s stairway.

His most exciting and memorable Scouting events were participating in the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, a 10-night outdoor camp, with Aloha Council’s Troop C213 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia. In 2014, he camped and hiked more than 100 miles in 10 days at the Philmont Scout Ranch and High Adventure Base in Cimarron, N.M.

Hong, 18, is a sophomore at the University of Hawaii at Hilo majoring in sociology. He serves as an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 23, sponsored by Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin’s Sangha Hall. Byron Fujimoto is Troop 23’s scoutmaster.

Hong is the son of Ted Hong and Terri Lum of Hilo.

Palmore, 17, has been in Scouting since age 6. He said Scouting has influenced him in many positive ways and instilled in him the spirit of community and volunteerism.

His Eagle Scout project was the design and construction of a figure-eight, ADA-compliant walkway and pergola at Hilo Medical Center’s Extended Care Facility. The project took one year of planning and soliciting donations and one year of laborious construction.

“Residents and patients can now go outside and enjoy the sunshine and have a garden like atmosphere to share with family and friends,” Palmore said. “I hope it will add quality to their lives.”

Palmore is the son of Stephen and Sanae Palmore. Michael Dodge is the scoutmaster for Troop 42.