Eagle94-A1

"And so it begins" Yes, I know it's hard to say no to your kids. But sometimes you gotta. We had siblings do events when I was a DL. The last year was the hardest because the siblings did EVERYTHING, and the parents, or more likely grandparents, didn't help that much. It was overwhelming.

We had these types of events when I was a DE. No youth around, and mostly your corporate types who are the BIG donors. I only saw 1 scouter involved with a unit in attendance. He and his twin brother were two of my district big donors, and he was a CM with his son's pack. Event still occurs, but the price is too much for most unit serving adults.

Exactly. Our Scouts even view the semi-annual COHS as a COH to have one. As for the "war chest" many have come about because councils and scout shops run out of stuff when needed. It was funny, no matter how many MBs we would order for the rush after summer camp, we would still run out of them.

Grant you, the term "candidate" may be tradition and not structured that way, until the 1989 changes to BSA program, i.e. doing away with Skill Awards and time requirements for T-2-1 ranks; introduction of NSPs and venture crews now called venture patrols, etc program materials showed that you got your rank and MBs at COHs. In fact I heard one reason why they got rid of Skill Awards was because the immediate recognition was no longer needed since Scouts are suppose to get their ranks as soon as possible after completing the BOR. One reason why COHs are supposed to be scheduled quarterly is because originally Scouts had to wait until the COH to get their rank. But most troops I know about nowadays only do semiannual COHs because they see no need to hold them more often with the Scouts getting their ranks as soon as they complete their BORs. Heck I know a few troops keep a "war chest" of ranks and MBs so that they can issue the rank the same night the Scout completes his BOR!

The place the venture patrol camped at had several stone fireplaces in some sites. Real nice set ups too I might add. Still need to put it out when you leave.

NC Troop here. October camporee November DC Trip December Wilderness Survival January TBD by new PLC

BSA did make a few larger size ones a few years back. Unfortunately there is not enough demand with folks going to 3rd party vendors to get properly sized neckers. So national quit making them. My troop is up a creek as the troop's necker is one they ran out of. Our resident seamstress has the supplies we ordered, but health problems have overshadowed the production at the moment.

THIS.TICKS.ME.OFF! And I see it to much. Last time was when the venture patrol went backpacking. Group in another campsite left the remains of their bonfire going. Took the patrol about 45 minutes to put that sucker out since they had to make several trips to the stream to get water. We were already behind schedule, and that added to it.

Some troop are old school. While you may have passed your BOR, until you received your rank at the COH, you were considers a "candidate." And not just for Eagle, but for all ranks. Awards were only handed out at COHs.

At the moment, wife could, stress could, wear French and Greek strips with her vintage Den mother uniform. Won't do it because she hates tan on the blue dress. She has French on her Venturing uniform. She didn't want me to order Greek as she didn't like how the tan strip looked on the green uniform when I got it for her. Now if they had a Quenya strip, I bet she would go for it in a heartbeat!

It's been around a while. I've used a version for when we give out neckers at the end of the year, when the boys are promoted to the next level. I'll need to look it up.

THIS. IS. A . MAJOR. PROBLEM! This new rule not only affects BSA, but many non-profits around the nations. In fact almost all of the non-profits were against this law. Yes most DEs earn under $35,000. But even if the salary was raised to $47,500, there will still remain a variety of reasons for DEs to quit. Some of the things I encountered as a DE were : 18+ hour days being on call 24/7 (yes, I had to deal with issues at 1AM and 3AM) unrealistic goals in membership, manpower, and money heavy pressure to meet those goals long hours on the road Extreme stress on the family That last one is a biggie. I've seen more folks leave the profession, including me, because of the stress on the family. My wife, who dated and was engaged to me while I was a DE, gave me an ultimatum after 1.5 months of marriage: Her or the job.

Unfortunately they are not authorized to wear the Eagle knot. This is what the Guide to Awards and Insignia says: Awards From Other Scouting Associations Scouters occasionally receive awards from Scouting associations of other nations, and it is important that they know how these awards should be worn. This does not include jamboree patches. Following are the regulations for wearing such awards: 1.They are always worn when visiting the country whose Scouting association presented the award or when attending a meeting or function attended by Scouters from that country. 2.Medals awarded by other associations are worn above the left breast pocket

I'd say August 1985 was when Tigers became 1st Graders. Guide on BSA's website is a little off (surprise, surprise) as BSA since when I joined always changes things August 1 of a year with the exception of the new Cub Scout program (changed to coincide with when the Scouts move to the next level) and the new Scout requirements ( calendar year). 2001 was when Tigers wore the full blue uniform for the first time. That's a year I will never forget. It was round up season when the Twin Towers were hit. Tiger tracks were around since the beginning. First it was solid colored tiger paws, then the cutout paws (which you needed to follow EXACTLY or the paw, and shirt, were totally messed up. Eventually BSA switched to the belt fob and called the beads "Tiger tracks" and the original Tiger Cub badges were stick ons for the belt fob. Then they moved to the pocket and Tiger Cub became a CS rank.

Actually Tigers came about in August 1981. I remember because I had to wait until 3rd grade to be a Cub Scout, and they introduced this Tiger thing for 2nd graders just as I was finally old enough to be a Cub Scout. Ticked me off to no end. Pre-1989 Tigers was 1 year, then Cubs 3 years for a total of 4. Then Cub Scouts expanded into a 3.5 year Program and Tigers was a separate 1 year program. 1995 or 1996 was when Tigers were fully incorporated into Cub Scouts and it became a 4.5 year program. I admit, I'm skeptical of Lions. I readily admit after 5 years (3 as a TCDL, 2 as a Wolf DL, 1 as a Bear DL) I was burnt out.

No, you need to go to the NC Archives and Records to hear them and read the transcripts.

I understand Beavah and desertrat77's views, and agree with them to a degree. I've heard of over the top ECOHs, but have been fortunate in that the bulk are "traditional" in that they use the troop's standard ceremony. But I admit I like having a separate ECOH. One reason is that folks from out of town and others can plan to attend. I know I invited my uncle and cousin to my ECOH, and was extremely surprised that my old SPL was able to get leave to attend my ECOH. I sent him an invite just pro forma as I didn't believe he would be able to make it. So glad he did, especially since my uncle and cousin didn't show. Yep old SPL had to roast me and do their parts as well. BEST.DARN. SURPRISE. EVER. Also, one of my Eagles specifically planned his ECOH around my vacation plans. Yes this guy waited about 8 months so that I could attend.

As you can see, lots of differences. One troop does 1 ECOH a year. It's done in conjunction with their CO's Scout Sunday and you easily get 5 to 12 Eagles at the event. It is literally standing room only as everyone, Eagles, Family Members, and congregation attend. The troop and CO pay for the food, drinks, etc. Council pays for the presentation kit. If you want your own ECOH, you are on your own. Another unit I know about also does 1 ECOH a year. They let the group of Eagles decide what they want to do prior to or after the ECOH. My buddy's Eagle class decided to "fly with the Eagles" and they got a helicopter tour of the city. One troop did absolutely nothing. I felt bad for the Eagle and his family because the family didn't know, or couldn't afford, to have food, drinks, etc. Also the troop didn't have any ceremony; just gave him the Eagle Charge and presented the medal to him. It lasted about 5-10 minutes. My troop growing up did individual ECOHs. Troop provided drinks and some refreshments. I bought the cake and programs. The troop also provided the presentation kit, your nameplate on the troop's Eagle Scout plaque, and made an Eagle Scout table top for use at COHs. I admit I used that table top to reserve my seat a time or two. Current troop has not had an Eagle in years. Hoping to have one this time next year as on Scout is pushing it. He has 5 months minimum left for Life. One of their COHs was at the local Scout camp.

One of my favorite Eagle projects was one scout organizing an oral history project of our veterans, especially WWII and Korean War vets. There's one vet I'd love to record an oral history, but a lot of what he did is still classified. He was rather upset that I discovered some info on him, but laughed when I said the report said he was CIA, when in fact he was DIA.

Did anyone else notice that the instructions for the Unit Leader Award of Merit states: The unit committee chair completes the Unit Leader Award of Merit Nomination Form on behalf of the unit committee. For Boy Scout troops, Varsity Scout teams, Venturing crews, and Sea Scout ships, the nomination must include endorsement by the senior patrol leader, team captain, crew president, or ship’s boatswain, respectively.(emphasis added) But there is no place for the youth to sign the form; they onlhy write a letter?

Why British and not Dutch, Belgian, etc? If memory serves, British Scouts served on the home front or enlisted. Scouts on the continent, especially the Dutch were the ones who served in the Resistance. See Jan van Hoof as an example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_van_Hoof

Yes, I'm hating the MB mill aspect that is now summer camp. First 2 years was out of council, and camp was good. Went to the local council camp, and it is so scheduled, it is ridiculous. Only free time activities are at night, and you gotta sign up for them in advance if you want to do it. Otherwise it's on a space available/first come first served basis. One of my scouts retook Swimming so he could get wet in the middle of the day. I wish he would have retaken Lifesaving as well, but oh well. But what got me was the instruction. On the waterfront 1 or 2 boats at a time, and everything was completed in 2 days. Kids got the MB, but had issues on a canoe trip the troop did a month later. One scout dropped Communications MB after the first day, but according to the advancement report, me met all but 2 requirements! Found that out this past Sunday. I told my son his second year "No Paperpushing MBs, have fun." And while he didn't earn a single MB at camp, he had fun and learned a lot. He eventually completed 2 of the 4 he took his second year.

Update Depending upon how you look at it, the meeting was a disaster (adult led folks) or a great learning experience (youth led folks). In a nutshell, Folks responsible for reviewing skills for camporee were not prepared. They had to add lib it. PLs and SPL were sent copies of the camporee guide, and only 1 had his copy. Few of the Scouts knew what is goign on with camporee in 4 weeks. ON A POSITVE NOTE: adults didn't step in to help. mentor yes, but the adult stepped back and chatted. One step forward. I am hoping an praying that Camporee will build these guys up. With the exception of campsite inspection and gateways, the entire camporee is patrol oriented. All events are awarding 1st - 3rd for the patrols, no troop level awards except camp inspection and gateway. Top 3 patrols will be recognized. Had one complaint about the top troop not getting recognized, but told them the patrol is the foundation of Scouting. My concern is the practice camporee date being on the calendar since January, and the new date for camporee being on the calendar since May, very few of the Scouts knew when the events were. The two mixed aged patrols only have 1/2 their members attending the practice camporee this weekend, and there is talk about merging them into one patrol for the practice, as well as for the actual camporee. I would say a step back, but in honesty it's par for the course, at the moment. Good news is that the SPL is stepping up and leading. This has a trickle down effect and the PLs are doing a little more. So it's another step forward. Baby steps.

While I agree with you, some of these things are mandated by the various states and feds. And yes, some are mandated by BSA. @SpecEdScouter Having a camp means having a guaranteed place for events like camporee, training, day camps, etc. There is a local facility that's a lot closer than the camp in my district, 5 minutes away compared to 25 minutes. The 5 minute camp is more primitive and has less faciltiies, so it's great for a lot of things. BUT we are subject to the owners. Currently they shut it down while the main facility, not the camp, undergoes renovations and construction. The camp is being used for storage.

@@SpEdScouter, Why do we need summer camp? YES WE DO! Do they need to be MB factories? No they do not. What are some aspects about summer camp? 1. FUN 2. Place to apply Scouting for a week away from it all. One week at camp is worth a year of meetings. 3. Bonding with fellow Scouts in patrol and troop. This is a big one for new Scouts as you can read about in Phrogger's post and based upon my personal experience and observations. 4. Challenges Scouts need. As I mentioned, summer camp does not have to be a MB factory. But some camps do provide challenges that Scouts need via BSA Lifeguard, COPE, and other older scout programs. Also HA activities, i.e. backpacking, kayakaing, etc are ways for older challenge themselves. I vividly remember my canoe trip in the Canadian wilderness. 5. I don't have enough time to keep going on.