Brave men and women who have chosen to serve their country will always be remembered at their alma mater thanks to a future Eagle Scout.

Tyler McGeehan, 17, of Penn Forest Township, has recently completed a display case that features the names of Jim Thorpe Area High School graduates who have served in the United States military. Launching a search in March, Tyler has so far collected 210 names of graduates from 1955, when the current school was established, through those members of the class of 2011 who have joined the service. There are even several names of graduates from Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk, the high schools that previously served the borough of Jim Thorpe.The large wood and glass display case can eventually hold 800 names. For each graduate who served in the military, there is a metal plaque with their name, year they graduated, and the branch of the military in which they served or are serving. On the back of each plaque is a Velcro strip which will allow the names to be moved if necessary to allow for additions to the display case.Above the names are the six emblems of the different branches of the United States Armed Forces: Navy, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Army National Guard and Marines.Now that the project is complete, the school has designated its librarian and National Honor Society to handle future graduates and any names of service members who were not initially submitted.Tyler worked 114 hours on the project, which began earlier this year after he received approval from the Boy Scout Council. To cover the $1,700 cost of the display case, plaques and emblems, he did some fundraising, sold a lot of candy bars, and collected donations from different businesses and community members."I would like to thank all of the generous donors who helped pay for my project," said Tyler, who is also grateful to those who helped build the display case."I would also like to thank all of the volunteers that helped on the project, especially Mr. Rich Flacco (JTAHS shop teacher) for his expertise."In July, Tyler returned to the Boy Scout Council Board of Review for its seal of approval. Having completed all of the requirements to attain Scouting's highest rank, Tyler, his family and troop will plan for his Court of Honor for sometime later this year. At that time he will officially become an Eagle Scout.Tyler has been involved in Scouting since first grade and is a member of Troop 555 of Penn Forest Township."It's been a great experience through the whole thing," said Tyler. "I really enjoyed it."His favorite thing to do, he said, is camping with his troop. He also enjoyed the interaction with Scoutmaster Ray Attewell."I appreciated my Scoutmaster for his guidance and his great sense of humor."Attewell is proud of Tyler's efforts."This is a great project," Attewell said. "I have always tried to keep our Scout troop aware and supportive of our troops overseas. We've sent care packages to a variety of units over the years."Seeing Tyler complete this project continues our troop's tradition of supporting our military; and the fine craftsmanship will enable it to be on display for years to come."The son of Jack and Robin McGeehan, Tyler will be a junior this fall when he begins classes at The Forman School in Connecticut. Upon graduation he plans to attend college where he will study engineering.