Boy Scout Troop 165 was started August 1,1978 and was chartered to St. Mary's Catholic church in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  Then Lt Col Frank Pacello , USMC, and an Eagle Scout, was the Troop founder and the first Scoutmaster.  The Reverend Gerald Weymes, acting Pastor of St. Mary's was very instrumental in establishment of the troop under the auspices of St. Mary's.  He was active as our Chaplain and attended most of our outdoor activities.
 
Dr. Paul Hanzel, an Eagle Scout, with the former St. Mary's Scout Troop (which had been inactive for a number of years) was the first Assistant Scoutmaster and has continued with the Troop since its establishment.  The troop consisted of 13 scouts.  The first Senior Patrol Leader was Eagle Scout F. Scott Pacello who came over from Troop 170 to help organize Troop 165.
 
The original 13 scouts produced two Eagle Scouts; George Navadel in 1980 and Mike Pacello in 1982.  Mike Pacello was the first Eagle Scout in the troop to earn all three Palms (Bronze, Gold and Silver).  Both George and Mike served as Senior Patrol Leaders.
 
The Troop rapidly grew to 23 scouts by the end of 1978 and added four Assistant Scoutmasters:  Mr. Jim Raine, Mr. Doug Craig, LtCol George Navadel USMC, LtCol Bob Mastrion USMC.  Mr. Joe O'Conner headed up the Troop Committee.
 
In December of 1980 the Troop had grown to 41 scouts and 10 Assistant Scoutmasters.  During the 1980's the troop averaged 44 registered scouts and 16 adult leaders.  In 1981 the troop joined the first of three Cavanagh brothers, Kevin and their Dad, Dr. Jack Cavanagh, who has maintained continuous registration with the troop.  Alan Cavanagh not only become an Eagle Scout in 1985, he also was awarded the Scout Lifesaving medal for saving a young boy from drowning in the Rappahannock in 1986.  Nathan became an Eagle Scout in 1991.  All three brothers are college graduates.  1981 also saw the first of three Pohl brothers, Denny who along with Eric and Kevin became Eagle Scouts in 1987,1989 and 1992.  Their dad, Dennis E. Pohl, has been continuously registered since 1981 and continues to be a great benefactor as well as very active in supporting the Catholic committee on Scouting.  Frank Pacello served as the Chairman of the Catholic Committee on Scouting for the Arlington Diocese as well as Scoutmaster from 1976 to 1991.
 
In June of 1983 James Ruth and Eirik Svare joined the Troop and their Dads Harry Ruth and Mark Svare joined as well.  The boys both made Eagle in 1991 and the Dads are still active as Assistant Scoutmasters.  Michael Ruth  made Eagle in 1994.
 
The Troop has played a key role in the Order of the Arrow Lodge since 1985 when the first of five Eagle Scouts served as Chief of the Rappahannock Chapter: Charles (Chuck) Lycett 1985, Tom O'Toole Jr. 1986, Eric A. Pohl 1987, Robert (Bobby) Lycett 1988 and James (Jimmy) Ruth 1989.  Troop 165 was also responsible for the first ever Chapter Newsletter in 1983.  The Editor, Denny Pohl, Asst Editors Todd Tierney and Chuck Lycett as well as the contributors Kevin Williams, Eric Pohl and Mike Pacello (all future Eagles) published the first Chapter Newsletter that also won the best Newsletter in the National Capital Area, Amangamek Wipit Lodge in 1983.  The newsletter continued to win best newsletter for five consecutive years.
 
In June of 1986 the first of three Matarese brothers (Matt) joined the troop along with their Dad, Jim.  Matthew and Chris made Eagle in 1991 and 1994, while Philip made Life.  Their Dad, Jim, became the second Scoutmaster of Troop 165 in Feb 1992 succeeding Frank Pacello who relocated to Kuwait at the end of the Gulf War to re-establish communications there.  Frank continued to be registered as Scoutmaster Emeritus and Troop Committee Chairman where he continues to actively serve.  Frank returned from Kuwait permanently at the end of 1993.  Jim Matarese served as Scoutmaster until June of 2001.  Tim Trice Sr. became the third Scoutmaster serving until June of 2002.  His son Tim Trice Jr. attained Eagle in 2003.  Bruce White, an Eagle Scout, became the Troop's fourth Scoutmaster in June 2002 and continues to serve to this day. Bruce's son ,Ian White attained Eagle in 2002.  The troop growth has been rapid since 2001, with 75 scouts and 25 adults registered as we enter 2003.
 
The Troop has maintained Honor Unit status since its inception as well as 100% Boys Life.  39 scouts have achieved Eagle rank with a complete listing on the Eagle Honor Roll page.  The troop has attended summer camp continuously since its inception, usually at Camp Herbert C. Bonner in the East Carolina Council.  In 2003, 59 scouts and 17 adults participated in summer camp.  The Troop has made 6 trips to the High Adventure Base in southern Canada and one trip to the Florida Sea Base.  The troop activity page details the Bike trips as well as the Triathlons that Troop 165 participates in.

In 1998 the troop made its first bicycle trip down the C&O Canal, nearly 200 miles in 7 days. In 2012 they made their 7th trip on the C&O Canal. In between, they have completed 3 Erie Canal bike trips (400 miles), the Greenbriar Trail (150 miles), the Hudson Valley Ride (200 miles), NYC to Frederickburg (350 miles), and 3 times had a group ride the Allegheny Passageway Trail from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD to meet up with the C&O Canal group and finish in Washington, DC (375 miles).

In 2010 the troop took 40 riders (35 Eagle scouts) on a 2,000 mile, 33 day “Cycling the Loop” cycling adventure to celebrate the 100 the anniversary of Boy Scouts of America. They visited 13 Boy Scout Camps along the way, toured West Point and Annapolis, participated in the Boy Scout Parade in Washington, DC, finishing by getting escorted into the opening ceremony of the National Jamboree.

As of June 2012, the troop had more than 100 scouts and parents complete a century ride by bicycle (100 miles in a day) and have cycled over 300,000 miles together from 1998-2012.

In 2002 the troop started a District Triathlon with an average of 30 scouts and parents participating each year. 2012 will mark the 11 th annual event.

The mile swim has also become a big part of the summer camp experience each year. Since 1998, 150 scouts from the troop have completed the mile swim. Some of the boys finish in under 30 minutes, some take over an hour but all provide their parents the comfort level of turning their back on them around water, knowing they are safe.

In 2012, the troop introduced the Triple Crown Award. They started issuing a custom embroidered patch to all scouts and parents who completed the mile swim, triathlon, and century bike ride. Since 1998, over 50 have earned the award in the troop.

In 2004 and 2008 the troop took groups to Philmont, each time completing one of the most difficult hiking treks offered. These events were managed by Assistant Scoutmaster Chris Conrad who has two sons who earned Eagle in the troop, Andreas and Nikitas Conrad.

In 2005, the troop completed a 60 mile canoe adventure in the Allegash Wilderness in Maine. This event was managed by Assistant Scoutmasters Andy and Renee Scott whose son, Chris, earned Eagle in 2008.

Since 2001, the troop has completed several creative century bike rides. Three times they have cycled the Outer Banks of North Carolina from Okracoke Island to Corrolla, adding a couple of days on the beach to make it a relaxing trip. The troop has also twice cycled the Florida Keys, going from Key Largo to Key West in a single day (104 miles). These trips were made extra special because the groups earned their scuba certification before leaving and they went scuba diving in the keys while they were there. Assistant Scoutmaster Scott Randels who has 3 sons in the troop, 2 that earned Eagle so far, Matthew and Nicholas, managed this trip.

The troop has standard outings that are always a big hit and so are repeated each year. In addition to summer camp, the troop enjoys a winter trip to Philadelphia where they stay at Camp Rodney in cabins and visit different locations each year like the Liberty Bell, the Franklin Institute, and Valley Forge. They complete a weekend canoe trip on the Rappahannock River each May and a family ski trip every February.

In addition to these traditional outings, the troop has traveled to Boston by train, visited New York City and the Statue of Liberty, gone caving and rock climbing in West Virginia, twice backpacked by bicycle to False Cape State Park and spent the night on the USS Berry in Washington D. C. Each August the troop has a Family Planning Meeting where they dream up what to do for the next year.