Eagle Badge

Fellow Scouters,

After being apart for 20 years myself and my original Eagle Medal
have been reunited together. As you may have read in a previous post earlier
this month I was looking to replace my "LOST" Eagle Medal.

During the time I was Active Duty Air Force back in the early 70's,
most of my personal belongings were packed away by my parents. After my
return home in June of 1980, I started to round up my belongings. The one
thing that we could not find was my Eagle Medal.

Shortly after posting for help to find a new one I was on the wire
with my brother in Utah. He talked with my parents out there and Mom had
remembered that she had thought she had seen an Eagle presentation case
somewhere in the house. Mom and Dad retired and moved to Utah back in 1984.
Well, Mom found it last week and mailed it out to me. I recieved it this
weekend after returning from my weekend drill with my Air National Guard Unit.

I could not believe the groundswell of emotions and memories that
rushed over me when I saw my Eagle Medal again! It's slightly tarnished and
the ribbon has slightly faded with time and age, but the memories and the good
times and fellowship were still there. My training in Scouting has served me
well over the years. I am so glad that I was able to participate and enjoy
Scouting during the turbulant 60's and early 70's.

I am also happy to be able to work once again in giving back to
Scouting what I recieved from many good volunteers way back then. I am also
glad that my son is quickly approaching the rank of Eagle. He has also enjoyed
Scouting and probably has had a better expirience than I have had.

I have recently been asked to stand up for a new Eagle in our troop for
his Court of Honor. I will be speaking to him and the other Scouts in our
Troop. This will be the first time since 1973 that I will be able to wear my
Eagle Medal in uniform. I have been asked to explain the meaning of the Eagle
Badge and what it means. This is a great honor this new Eagle has bestowed
on me. I have seen this new Eagle grow over the past 4-5 years as he progressed
along his trail to Eagle. I have seen many mistakes made and the education
recieved from making those mistakes. This night will mean an awful lot to this
young Eagle Scout. It will also mean alot to me.

As much as Scouting has been chastised lately for Old ideas and the
lack of change in some areas, I for one Scouter am glad to be giving something
back to scouting and to be part of helping to educate and mold some of these
new scouts. There may be some problems in this world that we as Scouters have
to deal with and work around. I miss the one on one expiriences I had as a
Scout in field activities with knowledgable Scouters. The patrol hikes with
a Scoutmaster, and other memorable side trips. Hopefully the Scouts currently
coming up through the ranks will be able to look back on thier own experiences
and have the same happy memories we have had as Scouts!

Yours In Scouting,

Chris Schmidt
ASM Troop 90, Chili, N.Y.
Eagle Class of 1969
Ty-Ohni Lodge 95

• Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
• Next message
• Previous message