Clarksville Eagle Scout helps honor Gold Star families at Austin Peay

There's a new landmark on Austin Peay State University's campus. But the addition didn't come from university leaders or even a student. It came from a high schooler, working on his Eagle Scout project.

Take a quick glimpse around Austin Peay, and you'll see all the names and figures they hold dear adorning their campus buildings and quad. But Joseph Brunner couldn't help but notice someone, or something was missing. "Austin Peay, up until now, has never had a Gold Star memorial to honor anyone affiliated with Austin Peay and their families," said Brunner. "I was really surprised there was nothing like this before."

Gold Star families are immediate relatives of military service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. It's the kind of sacrifice Brunner wanted to honor through his Eagle Scout project. He got the idea from retired Maj. Gen. Walt Lord, who serves APSU as a military adviser.

To pull it off, Brunner needed money. "We had to raise $5,400," said the rising high school senior.

Raising that kind of money was a big ask — not just of the community — but of Brunner himself. "At first, it was kind of, I wasn’t very a people’s person at the beginning of this project," he confessed.

Still, Brunner visited the Rotary, Civitan, and Kiwanis Clubs of Clarksville. He met with retired lawmakers. He even recruited Boy Scouts in his beloved Troop 365 to help him ask for money at Austin Peay football games. "It put me a lot out of my comfort zone, until probably two or so hours into it," said Brunner. "I managed to really just go up to people and be really confident in the way that I talked to them."

Finally, after a year and a half of fundraising, designing the memorial, and planting the four redbud trees that surround it, Brunner and his troop could get busy with the installation.

The memorial plaque is affixed to a flag pole in front of the Browning Administration Building. One of them reads, "Honoring all Gold Star Families affiliated with Austin Peay State University whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice in defending the United States of America."

The other plaque quotes John 15:13 KJV, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

There was just one heart-stopping part of the process left. He would have to emcee and speak at the official dedication ceremony. "I was really nervous at the beginning, again," said Brunner. " But then it was back to normal. I felt really good doing it, and I wasn’t too nervous near the end."

It gives Brunner pride to know, that as these trees grow and the memorial ages, he can also mark his transformation. "I’ve grown in my communication skills, I’ve grown in my public speaking skills. I’ve grown in all of that," he said.

He's also proud to add to the names this campus holds dear. "I’m glad we were able to honor all 25 of them," said Brunner. "That’s going to be there for a long time, this memorial. And I just find it crazy that what I did is going to be basically permanent at this point."

In addition to the memorial, Brunner is offering up a $1,700 one-time scholarship to a Gold Star Family member who attends Austin Peay State University.

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-Carrie Sharp