War Memorial board member recognized as Distinguished Eagle Scout
Now a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Rolf Mammen represents less than one ten-thousandth of one percent of the over 200 million people who have joined the Boy Scout ranks since 1910. In that time about 2,700 former scouts have been honored with the prestigious award.
Mammen, a brigadier general in the Air Force, is commander of the 127th Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township. He has been on The War Memorial Association Board of Directors since 2013.
During the Sept. 20 On My Honor Gala at the Troy Marriott hotel, Mammen was presented with the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award by The Boy Scouts of America Michigan Crossroads Council. He was recognized along with former Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite. The award acknowledges Eagle Scouts who have received extraordinary national-level recognition, fame, or demonstrated eminence within their field, and have a strong record of voluntary service to their community.
“I’ve been a student of leadership my entire life,” Mammen said at the gala. “Every day, even today as a general officer of a large organization, I’m still a student of leadership. I have mentors out there that I listen to and talk with regularly.”
His message to all the Scouts in the room and Scout leaders was to not stop learning about being a leader.
In his remarks, the one-star general thanked War Memorial Board Chair Donna Hoban, Board Secretary Mary Lamparter and Ron Lamparter, and President and CEO Charles Burke, all who attended the gala.
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award is the highest commendation available from the Boy Scout of America and an “incredibly rare and select honor reserved only for those of the highest caliber and character,” a letter to Mammen from National Eagle Scout Association Director of Development Denver Laabs states.
“I’m humbled because I do not see myself in this realm at all,” Mammen said. “I look back at the people who were awarded this and sometimes I go, why was is it me that got to be picked?”
Notable Distinguished Eagle Scout honorees include President Gerald R. Ford, Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, and film director Steven Spielberg.
Growing up, Mammen was in Troop 34 out of Ferry Elementary School in Grosse Pointe Woods. He was in Boy Scouts from 1976-1982, until he graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School. Mammen attained the level of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America.
“Boy Scouts taught you early on leadership skills that you may not learn anywhere else,” he commented. “It not only gives you the value sets to be a solid citizen but taught you leadership skills that were beneficial for me early on in my military career, there’s no doubt.”
As an Eagle Scout, Mammen said there were always different community and service projects he worked on.
“If I recall correctly, it was a two-week summer camp that was a troop leader development program which was all about leadership and working with teams,” he said. “From my son's perspective, there’s always projects going on. Every Eagle Scout has to do a service project.”
His son, Sean was also in Boy Scouts beginning with Pack 34, also at Ferry Elementary.
“Troop 96 had such a strong troop that we went to Troop 34 which became a Boy Scout,” Mammen said. “I would go camping with the troop when my son was active in it. That’s my connection with Troop 96.”
Boy Scout Troop 96 helped lead the pledge of allegiance at The War Memorial's annual Memorial Day service this year.
Alex Szwarc
Communications Manager
313.881.7514
aszwarc@warmemorial.org