When you think of the Boys Scouts of America, you may instantly think of strapping young men learning how to build a fire using a single match, to navigate through the wilderness using only a compass and a map, or even how to perfectly pitch a tent without so much as a glimpse at a manual.

While all of these are important skills for anyone to have, seldom does one stop to think about, or to thank, all the men and women who take time out of their busy schedules to impart this knowledge on the future our nation.

Many of these scout leaders have jobs and families of their own. Some may even have children that are involved in the same scout troop they take part in leading.

A select few may even work as special agents for the FBI.

Such is the case for Richard A. McFeely.

In 1990, one year after he graduated from Delaware Law School, McFeely, a life-long scout, entered into duty as a special agent in the Buffalo division of the FBI. It was here that he served his country by working to eliminate violent crime and street gangs in the Buffalo area.

Five years later, McFeely even worked as a lead case agent in the investigation of Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing.

 "He (McVeigh) was from western New York and I was assigned to the Buffalo office at the time."

In August 2009, after many years of service and an extensive list of awards and recognitions including the New York Bar Association's Tribute to Valor Award and the Director's Award for Outstanding Counterterrorism Investigation, McFeely was promoted to Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore division of the FBI.

When asked about how he transfers his leadership skills from the FBI to the Scouts, McFeely explained that, "I would actually put it the other way. I would say that I've learned more from leadership of the boy scouts than I have from any job I've had."

"The scout troop, when I was a scout," McFeely recalled, "was very active in junior leadership training and we've tried to now institute a program here for the scouts for leadership training… The skills that I learned 40 years ago are still with me today."

He went on to describe the similarities between his position as a squad leader in the FBI and the position of patrol leader in the scouts.

"In the FBI your first main leadership position is managing a squad," McFeely explained. "[A squad] is a group of agents who are task force officers and police officers that get together to do a mission.  It's the same as being a patrol leader."

"If you're a squad supervisor for the FBI you've got the same leadership responsibilities for leading your people as a patrol leader does in the Boy Scouts," he continued. "A patrol here is made up of about eight to 10 scouts and a squad in the FBI is made up of about eight to 10 agents. It's very similar."

While the backbone of the Boy Scouts is their moral code, there is always some fun and interesting activities to take part in. 

Finding a middle ground between work and play, however, can sometimes prove to be challenging, especially as the troop is involved in some pretty exciting outdoor activities.

"I don't go to all of them," lamented McFeely. "My work requirements are very high. It's a balance." 

In addition to several upcoming 'Man vs. Wild' events, in which the boys will break into groups of two or three and videotape themselves demonstrating basic survival skills, the troop will be taking a ski trip in February and will be doing some mountain biking in March as well as some rock-climbing in April.