Re: "Barely" Eagles
Stuart D Snook (dchi72@JUNO.COM)
Fri, 14 Aug 1998 18:12:09 -0500
As another "barely" Eagle, I concur. I raced to Life, and then did not
advance for two solid years. I spent the time working on camp staff,
being an active leader in the OA, philmont, national jamboree, and
leadership within my troop. It means more to me that I stopped and
experienced the full range of Scouting, then racing to Eagle.
I wanted to be the second Eagle ever in my troop, and could have made it,
but after reaching Life I realized that I was not enjoying my experience.
I finally made Eagle six months before my 18th.
An Eagle is and Eagle. No matter the number of merit badges, Philmont
treks, Campouts, Years of camp staff. The accomplishment is no more, no
less.
Stuart
On Fri, 14 Aug 1998 00:17:36 -0400 "Lawrence E. Faust"
<lfaust@ATLANTIC.NET> writes:
>Ho, all--
>
>
>>Regarding the thread on Eagles who coast through with "only" 21 merit
>>badges:<SNIP>.
>>
>>Only 2 (or 4, or whatever it is now) percent of our Scouts qualify
>for
>>this award. An Eagle with "only" 21 merit badges has absolutely
>nothing
>>to hang his head about.
>
><soapbox mode on>
>
> OK, boys & girls, enough is enough. It's gotten to the point where
>I
>have to voice my viewpoint on this "issue". Youse guys are talking
>about
>ME!!!
>
> Crossed to Boy Scouts in '69, earned Star in '71 and Life in '72.
>Held
>the usual leadership positions: Den Chief, APL, PL, ASPL, SPL, etc.
>Earned
>my Eagle with "only" 21 MBs in March of 1976, 1.5 months before I went
>to
>college and 8 months before I aged out (reality told me that
>additional MBs
>just weren't going to get done while a freshman in college & living
>over 300
>miles away from home)
>
> Backstory: My troop (T-458, So. Fla. Council) was fair-sized with
>4
>patrols. I shot up the ranks. After earning Life, I made the choice to
>put
>my own advancement plans on hold and help the others in my patrol and
>troop
>to advance. My respective chests of my parents & beloved SM swelled
>with
>pride (secretly, I think my choice drove them all a bit bonkers) Good
>choice or bad choice- you decide.
>
> Then, sometime after I turned 17, I got the clarion call upside my
>head
>that I had just about missed out on earning the Eagle and palm I had
>wanted
>all along. Got to work and with a lot of help (& summer camp), I
>earned my
>21st (I really wanted that palm, but ran out of time). Did my project,
>and
>my parents & SM got the paperwork pushed through in record time.
>
> Since that time, I consider myself a good & worthy Scout and tried
>to
>uphold and live by the Scout Oath & Law. Partly out a desire to give
>something back to Scouting & partly to start re-paying the debt I owe
>to my
>parents and Mr. Sheldon, my SM, I got back into the program with my
>1st
>grade son in Tiger Cubs. I'm now his Bear DL, a kinda-sorta ACM,
>District
>Cub Scout RT Commish. Visited the "new & improved" T-458 @ summer camp
>to
>return old flag ribbons (Note to members of T-458: sorry I misspoke
>guys, I
>only earned 21. I erroneously told y'all 23, but recounted them when I
>got
>back home. A Scout is TRUSTWORTHY)
>
> So, yes...negative comments about Scouts who "barely" make Eagle
>with 21
>MBs tend to get my dander up. Talk about them somehow being less
>worthy
>Scouts than those with more MBs really gets my blood a'boilin'. My
>chest
>puffs up and eyes get misty whether I attend the ECOH of a Scout who
>earned
>45 MBs (no palms given due to his aging out shortly afterwards-
>another long
>& sad story), a Scout who earns his Eagle at 14, or a Scout who earns
>the
>rank with 21 MB just before his 18th birthday.
>
> They're all Scouts and all Eagles and they are all worthy of
>EXACTLY the
>same respect. No more, no less.
>
></soapbox mode>
>----------------
>Scouting is a way of life.......ooooooooommmmm (repeat as needed)
>
> Larry ;-)
> Email: lfaust@atlantic.net UIN: 657022
> Cub Scout Pack 303, Spring Hill, Florida
> (visit us @ http://rio.atlantic.net/~lfaust/pack303/index.html)
> Withlachoochee District Cub RT Commish
> (visit the RT @
>http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Rapids/1292/csa.html)
>
>"Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather
>straps."
> ---Emo Phillips---
>
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