LAKE COUNTY — A Lake County Eagle Scout whose outstanding achievements were honored at a promotion ceremony at the American Legion in Clearlake last March is continuing to soar.
Brendan Melton is earning more than just merit badges now. He completed Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) at Fort Benning, Georgia, and earned two distinguished awards in the process.
Melton claimed the AIT Sharp Shooter award in Rifle as well as the Expert award in Hand Grenades. He enlisted in the U.S. Army for six years and is looking forward to his next phase of training.
Melton”s journey will continue with airborne training where he looks forward to experiencing the thrill of jumping out of an airplane. He said he would like to join the Special Forces when he turns 21.
“When Brendan sets his sights on something there is no stopping him,” his mother Becky Flaherty said. “He sets goals and he achieves them. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he will accomplish everything he sets out to.”
Persistence and determination are attributes Melton developed early in life. He had found his direction while on camping trip with his parents. It seemed his family”s activities were not exciting enough for him so he wandered off to a nearby campsite where a troop of boy scouts were enjoying their first outing.
Troop Leader Artie Clear said he returned the child to his parents but every time he escaped his mother”s eye, Melton was back joining in all the boy scout activities. From that point on, all of his attention was focused on the boy scouts and all the adventures the organization provided.
Melton”s parents said they have always been grateful for the direction scouting has instilled in their son. “It was easier for us as parents knowing that our son would make the right decisions,” his father Todd Flaherty said. “He never really had time to get into any trouble because he was always consumed by some sort of scout activity. It”s no surprise that he”s chosen the Army to feed his sense of adventure.”
Melton was a member of Boy Scout Troop No. 44 of Clearlake prior to advancing to Eagle Scout. He was raised in the Konocti Unified School District and is a 2008 graduate of Carl? High School. After completing airborne training he plans to continue training in the Ranger program and ultimately get accepted to Special Forces.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobsever.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
