There is basically one requirement for an Eagle Scout initiation project: It has to benefit the community.
So when Cinnaminson High School student Michael Gorman started brainstorming ideas for his own Eagle Scout project during the 2018-19 school year, he decided to memorialize two fallen heroes from his hometown.
Chris Hunter, a 1994 Cinnaminson graduate who became a lieutenant in the Cinnaminson Fire Department, died in the line of duty in 2014. Sean Cullen, a 2003 Cinnaminson graduate who became a state trooper, died in the line of duty two years later, in 2016.
On Oct. 28 at Cinnaminson High School, Michael, a junior at the school, honored both men by dedicating his Eagle Scout project, a fallen first responder memorial, to them and their families.
Michael welcomed everybody and thanked them for coming in a 10-minute, four-page speech to kick things off.
Then the family members of both men, Cullen and Hunter, unveiled a plaque and laid down roses at the feet of two nameless statues, one of a police officer and the other of a firefighter.
Michael saw the memorial as a tribute to the local heroes and to first responders in general.
The rest of the ceremony included speeches from local leaders such as Cinnaminson Mayor Ernest McGill, the Rev. Dan Kirk from the St. Charles Borromeo Church and Capt. Patrick Gallagher from the New Jersey State Police.
Police officers and firefighters from the Cinnaminson departments attended the ceremony, as did EMS responders from Cinnaminson, Palmyra and Riverton.
"I'm proud of the kid. I can't believe it turned out as well as it did," said Danny Norman, a Cinnaminson fire marshal and an assistant scout master in Michael's Boy Scout organization. "I knew he would do a good job but I was surprised it was as good as it looked."
"I have a lot of respect for police and firemen and everything they do to protect us," Michael said.
Michael knew Cullen, and when he brought the idea of a memorial to Norman, he loved it, but he also encouraged Michael to expand it to include one more local hero. Norman suggested honoring Hunter, one of his fire department lieutenants.
Hunter, who was called "the best damn company officer we've had" by a fellow firefighter in a 2014 Burlington County Times article, died on Nov. 15, 2014. He was found unresponsive at his home less than 24 hours after responding to a call at a home in the East Riverton neighborhood. The 38-year-old left behind a wife, Claire, and two children, son Christopher and daughter Emma.
Cullen, who served in multiple Burlington County police departments before becoming a trooper, died on March 8, 2016, while responding to a car crash and fire on I-295 in West Deptford. While crossing highway lanes, Cullen was struck by a passing vehicle. He was just 31 at the time and is survived by his fiancee and their two sons.
When Michael proposed his idea to Cinnaminson principal Ryan Gorman, who is not related to the student, the principal was all in.
He loved the idea of honoring Cullen, Hunter and their sacrifices. He also loved the idea of a general first responder memorial. But perhaps most importantly, he was confident that Michael, who has been a dedicated scout for 10 years, could actually pull something like this off.
"Michael had a very specific vision," said Ryan Gorman.
Michael would build the entire memorial, the wall, the three benches representing emergency medical services, the police department and the fire department, as well as the statues, in a hexagonal shape around the flagpole.
But to execute his vision, Michael had to find materials, recruit workers, raise over $2,000 from nonprofit organizations and then actually build the memorial.
In other words, he had to do what his 10 years of scouting experience had taught him to do: lead.
Michael raised $2,200 to purchase a half ton of stone, a half ton of sand and various other materials. Then he recruited his grandfather and uncle, Kevin Gorman Sr. and Jr., both professional carpenters, to lead the cutting, shaping and installation. He also got a team of eight scouts, including himself, to work for his grandfather and uncle.
The leader had landed his money and team, and now he just needed to execute his plan. From June 24 to 28, after school had ended for the year, the team worked from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day.
As they began the project, Michael realized his vision was flawed. His grandpa and uncle told him the shape would work better as an octagon, not a hexagon.
Michael didn't have time to hesitate. The team would have to stop, fix its mistakes and start again, with limited time to complete the project.
In other words, Michael had to do the other main thing that his 10 years of scouting experience had taught him to do: survive, and he did. Michael told Kevin Gorman Sr. and Jr. to move forward with the octagon shape.
"It helped reinforce everything that scouting's been teaching me," he said. "Things don't go according to plan."
Michael thinks the memorial looks better now than it would have with a hexagon shape.
And now generations of future Cinnaminson students will see it on the school's campus every day, and grow to understand the sacrifices that first responders make for their communities.
"Everything is cemented down, so it's not going anywhere," Michael said.
"It will be part of the fabric of Cinnaminson High School," said Principal Gorman.
"Not everybody has a concrete memorial at a high school that's the result of their effort," the principal added, talking about Michael. "He can do whatever he puts his mind toward."
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