John Foy Eagle Scout
It is the same drive that led him to earn his Eagle Scout Award that is keeping Middletown Patrolman John Foy a dedicated and enthusiastic member of the police force.
That and a family sense of faith and tradition.
Foy, who is 21 and lives in Middletown, has been a police officer three years. It was his duty on the department that prevented him from attending the recent Eagle Court of Honor held by Boy Scout Troop 22 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help auditorium in Highlands last month.
Foy was one of two former members of the scout troop who earned their Eagle Award several years ago. However, because of Covid restrictions they never had the traditional and solemn Court of Honor to receive it. The other former scout, Kyle Otterbine, was unable to attend because of his duties with the US Marine Corps. Scoutmaster Dr. Michael Marchetti and the entire Troop and guests at the Court of Honor ceremony honored each of the Eagles in their absence.
Foy, son of John and Jeannine Foy of Port Monmouth, was raised in Middletown and attended St. Mary’s Elementary School in New Monmouth before graduating from Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft. He was a member of cub pack troop 144 that met at St Mary’s, then moved on to boy scouting and Troop 22 which met in Atlantic Highlands and was under Scoutmaster Alan Resch of Leonardo.
Following graduation from CBA, Foy went on to Monmouth University for two years. It was while he was on summer break he learned of an opening for a Class 2 police officer in Middletown. He applied and after training at the Monmouth County Police Academy in Freehold, he was one of five graduates who was named to the Middletown Police Department as a probationary officer.
“I knew the excellent reputation of the department, the high standard level that was set there, and the respect residents have for the department, I thought it was an excellent opportunity or me to continue to achieve and at the same time help others,” the handsome, smiling and confident officer said.
But there was another reason why Foy felt he could become an excellent police officer. It was tradition in his family to always help others and do the best they could in some form of civilian employment. His father, John, is a retired police detective in Jersey City and his mother is a retired Captain with the Bayonne Police Department. In generations before him, other ancestors also served in both the Jersey City fire and the police departments, and throughout his life he had been taught how important it was to always reach out to help others in the best way possible.
Foy has many fond memories of his years in boy scouting, laughing in telling of his first camping experience and the challenges it created. “It was winter, we were in Quail Hill, it was raining, then sleeting, then snowing, then freezing……it was not a joyful experience, and did I want to go home? Yes! But I did not,” he said, laughing once again at his own memories. “But do you know,” he continued, “once that weekend was over, I kept thinking how much fun it was, and I looked forward to every camping trip from then on. I was doing something that most kids weren’t getting to do, and I enjoyed it.”
While in scouting, in keeping with his sense of helping others, the teenager chose as his Eagle project to renovate the statue of Mary, the Mother of God, that is a focal point in front of the Knights of Columbus building in Port Monmouth, at the intersection of Palmer Avenue and Route 36. With what appears to be his inner desire to always do a little better than he thinks he could, the scout also took on the challenge of installing a light on the statue as well as on the American flag over the building. That required calling in both his father and a friend, an electrician, who could do the electrical work. “But I dug the trench,” the officer laughs, remembering the length and depth he had to dig to ensure safety. Add to that the renovation to the statue and the creation of a garden around the statue, Foy led his team of a couple of younger scouts, his father and the electrician to complete the requirements of the scout’s highest honor. He had already earned numerous scout badges in addition to those required for the award and looks at his scouting experience as one that both humbled him and strengthened the values he had learned at home.
Today, after a little more than a year in the department, Ptl. Foy feels he has made the right choice for a lifetime profession and realizes his work as an officer “gives me the opportunity take my turn at helping others. I have a good sense of purpose and I am fortunate to be on a department with such exacting standards, such values and such rightfully earned respect.” He also takes delight that he is continuing in the tradition of ancestors on both sides of his family.
He does have ambition, though, he admits. It is the same ambition he had as a member of Boy Scout Troop 22. “I just want to keep getting better as what I do,” he said after serious thought. But laughing again, he added, “I want to keep getting better as an officer, and one day…and I know it will be years from now, I want to be promoted, maybe to sergeant.” It’s a goal, he said, but in the meantime,” I’ll continue to do my work every day and know that I am able to help others.”
Ptl. John Foy is an Eagle Scout who recognizes his own standards and dedication to helping others.
