Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Local teen made Eagle Scout

CLOVIS - Megan Scruggs has accomplished quite a few things since her arrival in Clovis. On Monday, the Clovis teen became part of the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts.

The honor is the highest rank possible through Scouts BSA, which began welcoming girls last February. According to a release from the Roswell-based Conquistador Council, which oversees Clovis' Troop 733G, only 6% of Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

Those who earn the rank take leadership roles within the troop and the community, earn a minimum of 21 merit badges and complete a large community service project. The window for this year's Eagle Scout class began Oct. 1 and runs through Feb. 8. Megan is the first Clovis female to achieve the rank, and helped found Clovis' Troop 733G.

For her community project, Megan located and cataloged veterans; graves at Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens cemetery in order to better honor Clovis' veterans.

"Being a military kid definitely influenced my project choice," Megan said in a release. "However, I was approached with this idea and I decided to run with it because of COVID restrictions and because it was a project focused on honoring our fallen veterans. It was hard at first because I was essentially starting out with a clean slate, so I collected the information and there were over 200 missing vets from the records. I corrected that information and now Wreaths across America and Gold Star Mothers have more of a chance to honor each fallen veteran in this community. I don't ever want them to be forgotten and I'm glad I could help as best I could with honoring them and their service time."

Karen Alexander, a Gold Star Mother and a local coordinator for Wreaths Across America, sponsored the service project, and lauded Megan for her dedication.

"Megan was committed to developing a record that can be used for years to come," Alexander said. "She walked the cemetery and located 1,029 veterans' graves. She developed an index of veteran's graves, to include the veteran's names, branch of military service, conflict during their service and the section and row where they are laid to rest. Megan is a blessing. She put a lot of time and hard work into this project. Because of Megan's project, we will be able to identify and honor our fallen heroes."

Megan has founded two troops since 2019 - Troop 219G at RAF Lakenheath last year, and 733G when her father, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Clifford Scruggs, was reassigned to Cannon Air Force Base. The Clovis troop was sponsored by American Legion Post 25.

"She quickly became the youth leader of our troop and has been a driving force behind our successes," said Michelle Bjorklund, Scoutmaster for Troop 733G. "Megan being not only the first female Eagle Scout in Clovis, but in southeastern New Mexico shows other young ladies that they too can achieve this honor if it is what they want. Megan has forged the way for future scouts here in Clovis. I am very proud of her accomplishments and know she has a very successful future ahead of her."

Megan said scouting was a leap of faith at first, but credited the Eagle Scout process because it made her accountable to the other girls in her troop.

Megan's mother, Jessica Scruggs, said the family gained plenty of knowledge from Megan's pursuit of the Eagle rank.

"Scouting opened a whole new world for us as a family," Jessica Scruggs said. "Megan always talked about her merit badges and the different skills she was learning, so we all got to learn them, too. Ultimately, her role as the Outdoor Ethics Guide for her troop led to a family trip to Costa Rica to work with biologists from The Leatherback Trust at a field station in Guanacaste. While she earned Eagle, we all managed to reap the benefits of her scouting journey."

Megan is planning to attend college at Louisiana State, and hopes to stay involved in scouting at the local level.

"Earning the rank of Eagle Scout takes hard work and perseverance, and we are honored to recognize Megan for this significant accomplishment," Conquistador Council Executive Director Lee Murdoch said. "As an Eagle Scout myself I know the tremendous work that Megan has put forth to achieve this goal and am very impressed with her tenacity along the Scouting trail. Along the journey to Eagle Scout, young people gain new skills, learn to overcome obstacles and demonstrate leadership among their peers and in their communities. These benefits are invaluable for everyone, and we are thrilled that they are now available to even more youth."