ot: eagle scout, how many are there are in our midst? Options

[messix]

i went to my nephew's eagle scout ceremony today, one hell of a good kid. in the past year i think that there have been 5 or 6 that have achieved eagle from his troop now him and one more coming in the next month or so.

[So.Cal.914]

Life. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/flag.gif)

[PeeGreen 914]

My grandfather was the oldest living active boyscout before he past and had so many great honors. My dad is an Eagle Scout. My oldest brother did the Royal Rangers thing and got the highest award they had. Now he is a Ranger and Special Forces... Go figure. The other two brothers for some reason didn't have to do Rangers or Scouts. Never asked why. Being the youngest I had no choice in what to do. Though I enjoyed the scouts the guys I was in with were not the best of guys and I rather wanted to be out playing sports. I guess I really just don't talk about Scouts because it isn't a big deal to me though I see the relation to helping boys become men. I went through everything until my parents finally said I didn't have to do it anymore. My grandfather wasn't happy when I stopped but oh well.

[914werke]

Hmmmm (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stirthepot.gif)
I became a scout cuz I needed to get outta my house and really came to enjoy the
Outdoors. The only thing that kept me involved was the hikes.
Living in th PNW you cant belive the beauty of the nature until you experiance it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/pray.gif)

The things I couldnt stand were all the stupid ceremony and pseudo religious overtones. My Troop had a bunch of older (20 -21) radical scouts that had the
same idea use it for what it offered and dump the rest. The master was a complete
"Boy Scout" and operated in denial about the real motivation of his "scouts" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Looking back I still have great memories of those outings, learned some things but never considered
the Eagle thing. What for? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[sean_v8_914]

I was kicked out of scouts so I formed my own para-military group. we planned and executed raids on various scout camps, learned how to build traps for fish, game and camp intruders. hung teh mayor of Port Jervis new york by his ancles for 2 hours in one of my traps. met up with a native american tracker in upstate new york who mentored my group and taught us the native ways to track anything. joined the Navy and used my native skills to track republican guard north of Kuait in teh early 90s. spent 6 years at Naval special warefare group 1 in coronado CA. I love America.

[sean_v8_914]

the youth of today needs direction. scouts may be a good thing.

[Richard Casto]

I really enjoyed scouts, have great memories and learned some life skills. But I advanced as far as I wanted (Life). I respect those who decided to make Eagle a priority for them (congrats to your Nephew), but for me, I really had no desire and it didn't do anything for me. It's sort of like a few years back I looked into getting my Masters in EE. I looked at the classes and only a small percentage interested me at all so I didn't do it.

[shadygrady]

I grew up in a small town whose troop was disbanded before I came of age, so I didn't have a chance to be a boy scout. When our two boys were scouting age, 11, I became a leader in their troop and really enjoyed working with the boys for many years. It was gratifying to see both of them become eagles. Even after my sons moved on, I stayed with the troop. I have many great memories of the outings and ceremonies. I can see how it changed kids' lives. My last troop was an inner city troop in Valdosta where a lot of the boys didn't have a father at home. You could really see a difference in their lives. Most of them had never been out of the city, much less canoeing on a 4 day trip in the Okefenokee Swamp. Scouting is a much needed program for our youth. Just an old man's $.02 worth.

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

super congrats to your son on such an achievement. Becoming an Eagle Scout was one of my proudest lifetime achievements, and these days so few young men aspire to become one. Such a rewarding experience.

[914Sixer]

I only made it to 1st Class but I enjoyed the scouts. Dad was in the military and we moved around a lot during the late 50's and early 60's. Some places had them and others did not. Today's youth could use some training that goes with scouting. I know kids that can not tell time if it is not a digital clock or even return change if the register does not tell them.

[914helo]

I made Eagle, as did all my brothers. It's a great experience for a teenager. I currently help out as an adult leader. It is very rewarding to see some kids grow up by filling just small leadership positions. They get outside involved with nature instead of sitting at home playing Wii. It's nice to have my kids enjoying the outside helping in a conservation program. There are so many worse places for them to be....

[fitsbain]

Made Eagle. Took the application to the council office on my birthday.

[So.Cal.914]

I grew up in a small town whose troop was disbanded before I came of age, so I didn't have a chance to be a boy scout. When our two boys were scouting age, 11, I became a leader in their troop and really enjoyed working with the boys for many years. It was gratifying to see both of them become eagles. Even after my sons moved on, I stayed with the troop. I have many great memories of the outings and ceremonies. I can see how it changed kids' lives. My last troop was an inner city troop in Valdosta where a lot of the boys didn't have a father at home. You could really see a difference in their lives. Most of them had never been out of the city, much less canoeing on a 4 day trip in the Okefenokee Swamp. Scouting is a much needed program for our youth. Just an old man's $.02 worth.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Bleyseng]

I got Monique's son, Zach into scouts when he turned 11. Troop went from 5 scouts to about 35 now but just because the leaders are excellent. Monique and I have been involved alot and that is why I don't make the TeenerTuesday meets as its the scout meeting date. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

Zach just finished all his requirements for Eagle and will have his award ceremony in May I think...All in all he has had some great adventures ie Igloo Camping, Jamboree's, Clam digs, hikes that he has loved. I taught him to fish on a hike...

Scouts has taught him to think for himself and make the right decisions...he's stayed out of trouble going to Garfield HS where there are tons of drugs, shootings etc.. Kids today have a lot to learn and how to think for yourself in one of them. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chair.gif)
Being outdoors in the NW every month has taught him a love of the outdoors which being a City kid is important...He always says "yes" if his mom and I ask if he wants to go on a hike instead of sitting home playing Xbox..even thou we are boring adults. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

oh yeah, I made it to Life scout.

[dflesburg]

I am an Eagle Scout.

So is John.

[Zaney]

Congrats for your nephew!
I grew up with Scouts and was lucky enough to be in a great Troop in Austin, Texas growing up. I was one of the Maverick Scouts who got their Eagle by the time I was 13. I was encouraged by my peers and leaders to go for it because, it only would get harder when you enter high school. Many more distractions (girls, sports, cars, job, more girls)
Now, I am the Advisor for the local Explorer Post here in Redmond for the Fire Explorers. It is a blast training the kids in a vocation that I think is the best job in the world!
Scouts are a great activity to keep kids out of trouble and to help learn some 'life skills'.
Plus, we have almost a dozen Eagle Scouts in my 150 member Fire Dept. (Something to do with playing with fire (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif) )

Cheers!

[sww914]

I didn't quite make it to Eagle. I loved all of the trips, less so of the other aspects of scouting. Nothing wrong with it all, just not for me.
Eventually I was kicked out of scouts. I got busted for running the biggest scouting porno and alcohol ring ever, west of the Mississippi. Maybe you heard about the bust? Riverside, CA., late '70's, a garage full of porn was illegally seized.
I had to do weekends in Juvie, I had a paper route so they let me work. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Ian Stott]

I am a Queen Scout (no homo comments please!) which would be the British Commonwealth equivalent I think. A proud moment for me and scouting has given me many great memories and some of the friends made are still friends today. I agree with those who feel being part of the Scouting movement is a very good way for youth to get out and enjoy nature and also to learn some cool stuff. I also feel it gave me an advantage during basic training in the military as a lot of stuff was review for me.

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada

[Cupomeat]

Well, I am an eagle scout and the older I get the more proud I am of it. It was a rite of passage for me, and proof that I, as a distracted teenager, could show enough discipline, attention and follow through to achieve a significant goal.

When I was in scouts in upstate NY, the troop was made up of about 50% of the kids who liked scouts for what it was, learning about the outdoors, etc. and about 50% who really needed a father figure, to get out of mom's hair, to find some semblance of discipline, etc. My Philmont trip is one of the most memorable trips I have ever had, and some of that was because a few of the kids who started out the trip as whining babies, ended that trip as confident young men. Amazing what the right guidance, challenge and attention can do for a struggling kid.

As my father was scoutmaster for the late part of my scouting membership, he had to be a father to many boys. To this day I still occasionally hear from the boys in the troop and how much of an impact my dad had on them. My dad also took the approach of not treating me as his son during scouts to make sure he didn't show any special treatment toward me. One of the assistant scoutmasters would act as SM for me.

Congratulations to all those who stuck it through to Eagle. It is what you made of it. I had fellow scouts whose parent's did it all for them and they probably feel very little (but contempt) toward the eagle rank, and friends who pushed themselves and did it all (and more) to get there.

Funny, as I always thought I'd be a scoutmaster, and now having our last child (two girls) it is less likely that I'll ever be so. I'll take the other side path and try to be a good role model in their lives and maybe one day, will join scouting again.

[Mike Knox]

My two sons are both Eagle Scouts, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) and I was their Scout Troop Committee Chair. Our Troop (Ashland Oregon Troop 112 Crater Lake Council) is the oldest continuously registered Troop in Oregon, dating from 1919. When I got into the troop heierarchy I discovered that the true philosophy of Baden-Powell was a boy lead troop with adult assistance. His theory was that this was the way to make boys into leaders. Our troop at that time was a top down adult run military organization (the Scoutmaster was a Captain in the Army National Guard).

We (my other leaders and I) did a complete overhaul of the troop structure making it a boy lead troop. The philosophy really worked. We adults facilitated the things the boys wanted to do, and after a few shenanigans they settled right in to doing the right things. They always knew we adults were there to help and facilitate structure. In my 12 years of involvement we had dramatic increases in numbers, and had at least 12 boys achieve Eagle.

Myself? I never made it past Tenderfoot, discovered music and girls (in that order). But as an adult I acheived the Wood Badge (WEI-491-99 Patrol Leader Bear Patrol Gilwell Hall Troop 1) which considered the adult equivalent of Eagle.
I am very proud of that.