Michael Jennemann, the oldest of three brothers, set the wheels in motion for one Eureka family’s exceptional Scouting accomplishments when he was in Cub Scouts.
The Jennemann family – father, Dave; mother, Pam; and sons, Michael, Jacob and Nathan – were at the Boy Scouts of America’s Memorial Day Good Turn, an annual event at Jefferson Barracks when Scouts place an American flag at each grave site in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
A group of Eagle Scouts walked past the family and one of those Scouts had a sash that was covered from front to back with merit badges.
“(Michael) said, ‘That’s what I want. I want that many merit badges when I get to Boy Scouts,’” Dave said. “I was all for it. That was the start of it, just the desire to get all of those merit badges.”
All three boys ended up filling sashes with merit badges as they climbed the ranks toward the Eagle Scout designation.
And all three also took home the American Legion’s Eagle Scout of the Year award for the state of Missouri. Nathan, 18, the last in line, received the award in July.
Michael, 23, earned the award in 2013, and Jacob, 21, received it in 2015.
“It is impressive to say the least,” said Michael, a senior airman in the U.S. Air Force who was promoted to staff sergeant in August.
“It’s impressive that all three of us got Eagle Scout at all, that’s a feat in itself. On top of that, we all got Eagle Scout of the Year, that just adds to it.”
Michael’s journey
Michael Jennemann
Michael was a founding member of Boy Scout Troop 922, joining the Cub Scout Pack in first grade.
He joined the Boy Scouts when he was 11 and reached the rank of Eagle Scout at age 13 in August 2008. For his Eagle Scout project, Michael built doghouses for the Humane Society of Missouri.
Michael earned 86 merit badges, netting him 13 Eagle Palms. It takes 21 merit badges to become an Eagle Scout, and Scouts earn palms for accumulating badges past the requirement.
Michael attended Cleveland NJROTC High School for three years, transferring to Eureka High School in 2012 and enrolled in AFJROTC at Lafayette High School. He is currently stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Destin, Fla.
“(Boy Scouts) teaches a lot of life skills,” Michael said. “My little brothers got into it with me doing it all the time. It helped me get to where I am today, and I think it is the same for my little brothers.”
Jacob’s journey
Jacob Jennemann
Jacob was also a member of Boy Scout Troop 922. He joined Cub Scout Pack 883 when he was 6.
He reached the rank of Eagle Scout in November 2011. For his Eagle Scout project, Jacob built wolf houses for the Endangered Wolf Center, raising money for the project by setting up concession stands at Little League baseball tournaments.
Jacob earned 111 merit badges, collecting 15 Eagle Palms.
He went to Eureka High School for his freshman year and transferred to Lafayette High School to be part of the Air Force ROTC program.
Jacob is now an electrician with Reiner Electric Co.
“As soon as Michael got it (Eagle Scout of the Year), I knew I wanted it,” Jacob said. “I always wanted to do everything that my older brother did. I made it happen.”
Nathan’s journey
Nathan Jennemann
Nathan is a member of Boy Scout Troop 922. He joined Cub Scouts when he was 6.
He reached the rank of Eagle Scout in May 2014. For his Eagle Scout project, Nathan also built wolf houses for the Endangered Wolf Center, raising money for the project by setting up concession stands at Little League baseball tournaments.
Nathan has 105 merit badges, earning 18 Eagle Palms, so far.
He is a senior at Eureka High School and hopes to join the Air Force.
“I said there was no pressure, but there was,” Nathan said. “They might have felt sorry for me if I didn’t get it, and my dad would have felt bad for me. I grew up following Mike and Jake, and they helped me a lot. I saw what they did, so that helped a lot. To get the award, I tried to do more than what they did, just like Jake tried to do more than Mike.”
More than awards
The Jennemanns’ home is in the Allenton Loop just inside the southern border of Eureka.
Boy Scouts has been a way for the brothers, who grew up with few neighbors and no other children their age, to socialize.
“We were really shy, not having any neighbors our own age around us,” Jacob said. “I think when we joined Cub Scouts, it just opened us up. It helped us to mature and have proper manners and (gave us) the skill set to be an adult. It gave us a set of guidelines, if you will. I’m 21 years old now, and I still try to live by the Scout law.”
Scouting also gave each brother a greater appreciation for their father.
“It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our dad,” Michael said. “Just the countless hours of driving us everywhere and pushing us to be better with it and do the work that went behind it. A lot of the behind-the-scene things that go into it come from parents, and I don’t think they get the recognition they deserve all the time.”
Jacob said his Eagle Scout project would have been impossible without his father’s help.
“I had no carpentry skills whatsoever,” Jacob said. “He helped me with the plans and finding supplies. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything without him. He was the main contributing factor and the push.”
Nathan said the achievement is something the family will cherish, and he also credited their parents for helping all three sons earn the Eagle Scout of the Year award.
“They supported everything we did,” Nathan said. “We all started at 6 years old in first grade and did Scouts at least every week of every year, until we got too old to be Scouts in 12th grade. That was about 19 years for my parents.
“When we complained about getting up at 5 a.m. and driving a few hours to a camp or merit badge, my dad drove while we slept, going and coming back.”
Proud papa
Dave said one of his favorite things about each son earning Eagle Scout of the Year was watching them give a speech after accepting the award.
“Each one of them gave such a nice, impromptu speech,” Dave said.
Dave said it felt like each one of his sons did a little more in Scouting to earn the high honor.
And seeing a son accept the award never got old.
“Each time was better,” Dave said. “Words can’t describe it. When Michael got it, I thought it was fantastic. I don’t know what you call double fantastic or triple fantastic, but it was just pretty neat. I’m really so proud of them.”