USS OKLAHOMA CITY Submarine Eagle Scout Project

Hello, my name is Matthew Aguilar Jr. I am a native of Lawton, Oklahoma, home to Fort Sill Fire Center of Excellence U.S. Army Installation. I am currently a junior at MacArthur High School and a Life Scout in Boy Scout Troop 4176, working toward my Eagle rank in Scouts BSA.

My Eagle Scout project consists of creating a monument honoring the US Navy in land-locked Oklahoma. I plan to construct a naval memorial at Elmer Thomas Park from the USS OKLAHOMA CITY – a US Naval submarine inactivated in December 2021. I want to honor those who have served our great nation in the U.S. Navy in Oklahoma. The display will consist of the anchor and chain from the USS OKLAHOMA CITY and will be placed with other military monuments currently in the park. This memorial is my final step towards becoming an Eagle Scout.

The idea for my Eagle Scout project came from viewing an article in the BSA Boys Life magazine in 2017. I was inspired to build a memorial after reading a story about a Scout using a piece from the twin towers of the 9/11 attack to build a monument/memorial in their honor for his project.

I like learning about military history, particularly the battles in World War II. Although my hometown is an Army town, many Navy veterans are native to or have retired in Oklahoma. I also have family connections to the Navy with several relatives, uncles and cousins, serving in the U.S. Navy. I thought it would be nice to have a part of a ship to honor the US Navy to go along with the other military monuments in our city park. It is a special treat to get a piece of a ship that is the namesake of my home state. It is an excellent way to represent and respect my state along with the men and women who served our country from our state.

Funds acquired for my Eagle Scout project will be used for the direct construction of the project. I have gone through all the proper channels, and this anchor and chain have been awarded on behalf of the City of Lawton to me. Funds will be used for the concrete pad, a wall of granite engraved with the names of service members from the USS OKLAHOMA CITY, as well as the shipping costs to get the anchor and chain from Washington state to Lawton, Oklahoma. If the anchor and chain need sandblasting or sealing procedures to preserve them appropriately, funds will also be used for those processes.

The target starting amount for the fundraiser is $50,000. No amount is too small and any funds donated are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated.