David Helbig and Joshua Allmon were two of only 100 Scouts in the nation who won robotics merit badge patch that astronauts had carried with them on the last shuttle flight May 16-June 1.

The robotics merit badge patches flew on the space shuttle Endeavor’s final mission to the international space station. This was to kick off the launch of the new Boy Scout robotics merit badge.

Helbig and Allmon had to earn their merit badge by the end of September to be eligible for one of the patches. The Scouts finished their merit badges on Sept. 20. Helbig and Allmon not only received the merit badge patch but they received a picture of the shuttle crew, one of the mission patches from the space shuttle crew, the BSA robotics launch patch and a certificate of authenticity from NASA stating the patches flew in space on the Endeavors final mission traveling more than 6.5 million miles in 248 orbits of Earth.

“This was a once in a life time opportunity and I was so excited to hear one of our Scouts, Joshua, had won,” said Darcie Helbig the merit badge counselor for the troop.

“Then I received an e-mail that David won a few weeks later. I could not believe we had two Scouts in the same troop who won,” Helbig said. “I love Boy Scouting and the opportunities it allows our young men, and I am thankful for organizations like Zebulon Baptist Church who support the scouts,” Helbig said.

Scout opportunities and activities are numerous for Boy Scout Troop 524 and Girl Scout Troop 331 also of Zebulon Baptist Church.

Recently the Boys and Girl Scouts relived a part of history when they participated in the camping program aboard the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown at Patriots point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina.

The Scouts became “shipmates” with other youth as they toured Yorktown, and the World War II submarine USS Clamagore and the Vietnam Era U.S. Naval support base and Cold War Memorial. The Scouts had their meals in the "chief’s mess” onboard Yorktown so that could experience the full effect of having lived on a famous man -o-war, according to Helbig.

The Boy Scouts worked on their Oceanography merit badges and the Girl Scouts worked on their Oceanography interest project patches.