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By CATHERINE GODBEY, The Decatur Daily
DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — Reaching across his body to the back of his left shoulder, David Hudry pointed to the blue, white and red patch stitched to the sash.
“That is the Citizenship in Society merit badge. It is the last of the 138 badges I completed,” David said.
At 15 years old, the Decatur teenager accomplished a rare achievement — earning all 138 merit badges offered through Scouts BSA, formerly the Boy Scouts arm of Boy Scouts of America.
“Boy Scouts is such an amazing program. The merit badges offered me opportunities I wouldn’t get anywhere else, like welding and metalworking. Why would I pass on learning all of that stuff?” David asked. “Also, how many people can say they are an Eagle Scout and earned all 138 badges?”
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The answer is very few. The achievement is so rare only 0.5% of Scouts attain it.
“What David has done is amazing. He is a very motivated, driven and goal-oriented young man that serves as a great example to everyone else,” said Bill Marco, David’s first Scoutmaster.
For David, earning all the merit badges represents the latest chapter in a journey that started 11 years ago as a 6-year-old Tiger Cub.
“David saw other boys at school and they were really excited about Cub Scouts. That’s why he wanted to join. We knew nothing about the organization going in, so his dad (Wayne) went to the Scout store and got a book so we could learn,” said Twila Hudry, David’s mother. “This all started as a way for David and Wayne to have father and son time. Over time, it became a whole family activity.”
Anthony East served as David’s Cubmaster.
“I was there when David first came through the doors as a Tiger Cub,” East said. “I feel privileged because I got to put his first badge on him, and I got to be there for his Eagle board of review. David’s an outstanding young man. He is driven, self-aware and a joy to be around.”
While some boys left the program over the years, the experiences spurred David to return to Scouts year after year. As a Cub Scout, David toured a fire station, camped in the wilderness, and slept on the USS Alabama, a battleship docked in Mobile Bay.
“That was a very unique experience. People can tour the USS Alabama, but I don’t think very many people get the opportunity to sleep where the sailors slept,” David said.
In sixth grade, David joined Troop 142, sponsored by Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church and led then by Marco.
David quickly earned his first badge for first aid and ascended through the levels of tenderfoot, second class, first class, star and life. In 2018, at the age of 12, he became the youngest Scout in the Arrowhead District, which serves Lawrence, Limestone and Morgan counties, to earn the rank of Eagle.
At the time, to achieve the Eagle rank, Scouts had to earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, organize and complete a community service project, and sit for a board of review.
As of this month, Boy Scouts of America now requires any youth seeking to achieve Eagle to earn 22 merit badges with the latest being the Citizenship in Society badge introduced by the organization in November 2021.
For his Eagle project, David landscaped outside the Alabama Baptist Children’s Home in Decatur. After achieving Eagle, David set a goal of earning all of the merit badges.
“When David transferred up from Cub Scouts and started seeing all of the ‘big guys’ in high school with their badges, he told me, ‘I’m going to earn all of those.’ It’s been an amazing experience because he has learned so much and been exposed to so many different things. I don’t think it would have happened without Scouting,” Twila said.
Covering two sashes, the badges represent David’s knowledge of everything from automotive maintenance, archaeology, astronomy and chess to climbing, fishing, plumbing and scuba diving.
To earn the badges, David learned how to snow ski, sail a boat, shoot rifles and build a model railroad.
“They are all so interesting and cover such a wide variety, I don’t think I could pick a favorite. Snow sports was super interesting because you learned how to ski. Small boat sailing was interesting because you learned how to sail, tack and maneuver a boat. There is also landscape architecture, birding, woodworking, archery and shotgun shooting. I have just learned so much,” he said.
For each badge, David met with a merit badge counselor, studied the material and was tested on the information he learned. For some badges, such as pottery, leatherwork and whitewater rafting, he had to exhibit mastery of the skill.
“They all were challenging in their own way. The most challenging one for me, though, was probably personal management, simply because it required three months to complete,” David said.
As for sewing the badges onto the sashes, that responsibility fell to Twila.
“There is not a sewing merit badge,” David said with a laugh.
As the most decorated Scout in Troop 142, David serves as a mentor to the younger members. David’s involvement in Boy Scouts also inspired his older sister, Juliana, to join the organization when Scouts BSA began accepting females in February 2019. In less than two years, Juliana earned the rank of Eagle.
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