The five young men, all longtime Troop 566 members and friends, are Saratoga High School graduate Bradley "Brad" Seago and Lynbrook High School graduates Kinman Cheung, Brandon Katz, David Lamb and Darren Kwong. They are now all college freshmen: Seago at Loyola Marymount University; Lamb, Cheung and Katz at UC-San Diego; and Kwong at UC-Riverside.

In order to reach the level at which he can initiate an Eagle project, a Boy Scout must first earn a minimum of 21 merit badges—some mandatory, some elective. Along with carrying out the project, a Scout must also plan a course of action, obtain materials, raise funds if necessary and recruit Scouts and other volunteers for assistance. Fewer than 2 percent of all Boy Scouts in the United States choose to earn the rank of Eagle.

Cheung, who served as a patrol leader and junior leader training instructor in the past, designed and built a parking area for two large band trailers at Lynbrook High School as his Eagle project. This involved clearing out an overgrown area, installing a wooden plank border and filling the area with gravel. He supervised and assisted 17 other volunteers and had the project done within three days.

Katz' Eagle project also benefited his alma mater, Lynbrook. He designed and executed the planting of ivy, shrubs and flowers in several of the school's barren planters, reconditioned the soil and made sure the new plants were suitable with the surrounding vegetation. To join him in the project, he recruited and trained 14 volunteers. Katz has served as a den chief, patrol leader, merit badge coordinator and assistant senior patrol leader.

Kwong chose Miller Junior High School as the beneficiary of his Eagle project. He designed, built and installed 10 new redwood benches around the campus, which required approximately 30 hours of planning and nearly 150 volunteer hours from his fellow Scouts and friends. Kwong's past titles in the troop are patrol leader and assistant senior patrol leader for service projects.

Lamb chose to re-landscape four large, concrete-bordered planters at Lynbrook. The project involved removing dead vegetation, reconditioning the soil with compost and replanting new vegetation that coordinated with the surrounding landscaping. He completed the project in 120 hours with help from 15 Scouts and friends. Lamb has held many positions in his troop, including den chief, assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, librarian and assistant senior patrol leader for honor patrols.

Seago also embarked on a re-landscaping project, but his took place at Saratoga High School. After removing numerous dead or declining trees and shrubs from the campus, which sometimes required the use of heavy machinery, he then planted new trees and added decorative landscape gravel. He led a team of 22 Scouts, friends and adults to complete the project. In the past, Seago has served as assistant patrol leader, patrol leader and assistant senior patrol leader and black arrow training coordinator.