78-year-old Wisconsin Eagle Scout receives honor after decades

NEW BERLIN, Wis. - A Wisconsin man has finally achieved his dream of becoming an Eagle Scout.

It only took him about 65 years to do so.

The backstory:

At 16 years old, Richard Nuccio completed all of his requirements for his Eagle rank. But unforeseen circumstances delayed that process until 78.

"His story’s fantastic," Boy Scouts of America Potawatomi Area Council advancement committee chairman Tom Sisson said. "I was a teenager when I got it and for somebody to go that long, and the comeback."

Nuccio started out as a Cub Scout and became a Boy Scout in 1959 in Connecticut.

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"These merit badges are the 21 merit badges that are needed to get yourselves to the top rank," Nuccio said.

But before he got his board of review in 1962, his scoutmaster transferred. His troop later folded.

"That really kind of upset my mother," Nuccio said.

Despite the disappointment, he said over the years he used his scout values and skills in every aspect of his life, including his service in the U.S. Airforce.

But years later, he said a good friend convinced him there had to be another way to get that Eagle rank.

Local perspective:

"I saw there was a Belated Eagle Application," Nuccio said.

In 2017, that led him to the Potawatomi Area Council and a years-long pursuit of documentation where, in 2024, he finally passed his board of review for his Eagle rank.

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"It’s historic for our council, it’s our first," Sisson said.

Now, along with his continued service in the New Berlin community, he's also hoping to help the next generation of scouts, like his grandson Henry.

"If he gets to Eagle, I hope he does it faster than what I do," Nuccio said.