Re: "Barely" Eagles

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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