In reply to smt75,
30 years ago puts you into the 7th edition of the Boy Scout Handbook, my era as well.
The required merit badges were Camping, Cooking, Cit in the Community, Cit in the Nation, Nature, Soil and Water Conservation (Conservation of Natural Resources after Dec. 1,1967), Personnal Fitness, First Aid, Swimming, Lifesaving, and Safety.
Notice the glaring lack of options!
I personaly hate to swim. But, I set my goal at Eagle and swam. Same with Lifesaving.
As I look back at my merit badge experiences, these were all chalanging merit badges taking several years to earn (rem