THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 8, 1995 TAG: 9512060136
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 24 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BARBARA KREISLER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
WHEN HARVEY AND STEVE Miltier were kids growing up in Portsmouth, much of what these identical twins did, they did together.
In 1960, the 14-year-old Miltier twins received the Eagle Scout award - the highest Scout honor - in a joint ceremony.
Last week - 35 years after that ceremony - the twins looked on at another Eagle Scout awards ceremony, this time for their sons.
Harvey Miltier's son, Jeffrey, and Steve Miltier's son, Nicholas, are both 16 now and 11th graders at Alliance Christian School.
But that parallel in the second generation's lives is not surprising to people that know the Miltiers.
The twins were married within a year of one another. Both attended Old Dominion University, graduating in 1969 with degrees in engineering.
They work for the same employer, SUPSHIP (Supervisor of Shipbuilding) at Newport News Shipbuilding.
Their sons were born within three months of one another and both also have one daughter.
They have sailed together, water-skied together, skied together, coached girls' softball together and car pooled to work together.
They live, not surprisingly, within walking distance of one another in Mayflower Park and Green Lakes.
And four years ago, they both became Scoutmasters, forming Troop 137, which is sponsored by Calvary Baptist Church. Since then, both have been named Boy Scout Leader of the Year for the Merrimac District of the Tidewater Council.
``Scouting taught us that when you want to do something, learn everything you can about it before you start,'' said Harvey Miltier.
``We wanted an old-fashioned troop for our sons, and we wanted every one of our boys in the troop to become an Eagle Scout,'' he said.
Even their wives are involved with scouting. Harvey's wife, Nadine, is troop historian, and Stephen's wive, Peggy, is secretary and treasurer.
And how does the next generation feel?
Nicholas Miltier concedes that scouting takes time and that there was some parental pressure along with the direction.
``But I discovered a lot about my dad,'' he said. ``Especially that we both enjoy camping.''
For his community service, Nicholas led a landscape project for Calvary Baptist that included new brickwork and a 50-foot flower bed extension with 25 evergreens and ground cover.
Jeffrey Miltier assembled a group of volunteers to refurbish 50 children's chairs and several tables for the church's youth department.
``It was fun, but a lot of work,'' said Jeffrey.
But the church was a natural selection for his project, too.
``For the Scouts in our troop, the church gave us a place to meet and recognized us on Scout Sunday,'' the teen-ager said. ``For me, personally, my pastor guided me in scouting.
``He may not be a Scoutmaster, but he was my role model,'' he added of his father's childhood friend and fellow Eagle Scout, the Rev. Philip Parker.
Parker is also the troop's committee chairman.
For Harvey Miltier, Jeffrey's project was a special achievement, too.
``Several years ago, when Phil (Parker) was looking for a troop for his son, the three of us decided that what was needed was the kind of troop and Scout experience we had when we were boys,'' said Harvey Miltier.
``We know how we benefited from our experiences, how those experiences helped shape us and build our self-confidence, and we wanted to recreate them for our own sons.'' ILLUSTRATION: Identical twins Steve, left, and Harvey Miltier received their
Eagle Scout awards in 1960.
Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Harvey Miltier, from left, and his son, Jeffrey; and Steve Miltier
and his son, Nicholas, are all Eagle Scouts.
by CNB