Twelve days backpacking 80 miles through the mountains of Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, packs stuffed with tents and food – and a donkey named Slim Shady for company.
That’s one of the stories James “Jimmy” Mullaney carries with him from scouting, a program he’s been part of since he was 6 and that has now led him to the rank of Eagle Scout.
“We backpacked in the mountains for 12 days,” Jimmy said. “We covered about 80 miles, carried our water, tents, food, everything.”
Not everything went smoothly, he said a black bear once blocked their path until a staff member banged a spoon against a pan and chased it off. The donkey, meanwhile, became part of the crew.
“We picked our own donkey at base camp,” Jimmy said. “The guys were chasing the energetic ones, and I was like, no, get the one that’s laying on the ground right there, we named him Slim Shady.”
Jimmy joined scouting at 6 years old, starting as a Tiger Scout and working his way through Cub Scouts before crossing over into a troop.
“Honestly, it’s shaped who I am,” he said. “I love the program, I love what it stands for, and it’s something that I plan on sticking with.”
What resonates most are the principles. “It’s like the ways of the oath and the law,” Jimmy said. “It’s good morals, which is something we don’t see enough of today, it teaches you how to be a good person.”
To reach Eagle, scouts must complete 21 required merit badges along with a service project. Jimmy has earned more than 40 badges in total.
For his project, Jimmy built two flag retirement drop boxes by hand, cutting the lumber, painting, and assembling. One box sits inside St. Daniel the Prophet Church, where parishioners can leave worn American flags.
The other stands at the Forest Park Veterans Center, where veterans handle retirements.
The idea came from summer camp, he shared.
“Every year we have a huge bonfire and do a flag retirement ceremony,” Jimmy said. “The biggest one we had, we retired some 300 flags, it’s a respectful way instead of just throwing it away.”
On September 3, Jimmy stood inside St. Daniel the Prophet with his father, James, and Father Rafal Stecz.
For James, seeing his son reach Eagle Scout carried a special weight. “Very proud, very proud,” he said.
“Attaining Eagle – not everyone aspires for it, a lot of scouts come into the program just for the program, and they don’t have their eyes on being an Eagle.”
He explained that the rank wasn’t always his son’s goal, at least not right away. “He didn’t focus on Eagle until the last year and a half, two years,” James said. “But once he set his sights on it, he pushed through and got it done.”
Now a senior at St. Laurence High School, Jimmy already has his next steps in sight.
“I’m going to be going for commercial piloting, probably College of DuPage,” he said. The school partners with Lewis University, giving him a clear runway into aviation studies.
His choice of high school wasn’t by accident either. “St. Laurence has a four-year aviation program,” he added, a track that lined up perfectly with his long-term goal.
And while he’s preparing for life after high school, scouting is still part of his present. As soon as he earned Eagle, Jimmy stepped into a new role as assistant scoutmaster for Troop 475, based at St. Daniel the Prophet.
“It’s more community-driven, helping out around,” he said. “We’ll clean up around the church, help at the dog park, just things that make a difference.”
For Jimmy, those everyday acts matter just as much as the merit badges or the Eagle pin. They’re part of his morals, he said.
Still, one memory rises above the rest.
“Honestly, Philmont,” he said. “Backpacking for 12 days, just us, the mountains, and Slim Shady the donkey. That’s something I’ll never forget.”