desertrat77

Colonel Flagg (my favorite MASH character!), I enjoyed your entire post but wanted to highlight the portion above.... All of those points--friends, mentors, fellow scouts, family, refreshments--are the truly meaningful elements of any Eagle court of honor. When I was a scout, my family moved right after I completed my Eagle board. At my new location, five very kind new Eagles invited me to be a part of their court of honor. It was a quite a ceremony, a big production. Everyone was friendly and congratulatory. But truthfully, I was blue. Didn't know a soul. Hadn't hiked 1 mile along the scouting trail with anyone present. I would have given my right arm to be back in my old troop, just for that night, in our flea-bitten old barracks of a scout hut, celebrating with the cast of characters that comprised my old troop. As eccentric a bunch as I've ever met, we had been through thick and thin, and the actual ceremony itself would have been secondary to the camaraderie. And the cake!

Thanks Back Pack, that made my day! Maybe I'm just getting old. But I don't understand the concept of collecting a bunch of letters from strangers. And in Mike's case, he's wire-brushed by parents because he wouldn't personally sign a letter! After all, their progeny is so very special that he, Mike Rowe, darn well better drop what he's doing and sign a doggone letter! Unbelievably tacky. To go out further on the limb, I'm fairly convinced that the standard 3 inch binder full of Eagle letters, stationed conveniently in the back of room on a conspicuous table for all to see, is created solely for the benefit of one person: Mom. And she's usually the one who ends up doing all of the work to get those letters too. Do yourself a favor and skip all of that. Enjoy the day. Unless things have changed recently, the Eagle kit comes with a letter from National, a certificate for the Eagle, and the medal, etc. Isn't this honorable enough?

I concur with the others: your son calls the shots. Invite the troop if he wishes; if they want to attend, great. If not, so be it. Credentials: talk with the council. Letters: just my opinion, but they are strictly optional. A whole cottage industry has been created over the last 20 years, soliciting famous and influential people who are supposed to write fancy congratulation letters for Eagles they don't know from Adam's house cat. Unless there is a personal connection (employer, neighbor, family member who has done good, etc), the letters are meaningless. But that's just me. Anyway, congratulations to the new Eagle!

I'm not sure why it's important, aside from heritage. Team building too. Practically speaking, the best yells tend to be the odd-ball stuff that a patrol will concoct on their own, and everyone else is in stitches laughing every time they hear it.

As the others have already stated, figuring out the yell is strictly the scouts' business. If the troop patrols use their yell at the end of a meeting, the new Yell-less Coyotes will figure out one pretty darn quick when it's their turn and they are standing around staring at each other. A good lesson in motivation. Their patrol, their yell. Fresh ideas need to come from the patrol.

The RT concept is a good one, but rarely works in reality. They often turn into marathon "announcements" sessions, platforms for the usual scouters to "wax eloquent." Result: people stay away in droves. Who's got time for that baloney? If the RT chair is a strong facilitator, there is hope. But it can be a challenge to keep some district scouters from going on and on and on and on.... Still, RT is perceived by many as "another meeting." And another late dinner, another missed ball game (daddy, why weren't you at my game?), etc. Just send me the notes and I'll read them when I get a moment to breathe. Our rural district more or less combines a monthly district committee meeting with a type of unofficial RT. Not on purpose, but it has morphed into that. We do our district thing, and unit level scouts come to listen in and contribute, ask questions, etc. Since we are so small, most folks have both district and unit level hats, so it works out anyway. And it is 1 meeting a month. We get our business done, sit around and shoot the breeze for a bit, then go home.

Adults wearing the oval Eagle patch was not common in the '70s, but it was not uncommon either.

ALICE rocks! Among my artifacts, things that as a scout I faithfully packed for each campout and backpacking trip: - WWII mess kit - GI 1 quart green canteen, 2 each (my sole water storage devices for a Philmont trek) - Korea War era canteen cup These items are rock solid, built like a tank. Now and again I sip my morning coffee from the canteen cup. I know technology has come a long ways. But....

Now that you mention it, gear was not as "Gucci" back then as it is today. It just had to be functional, and if it ugly as sin or weighed a little extra, that was okay. Kids backpacking with ancient canvas packs, lots of heavy GI surplus items, etc. It it worked, it worked.

Not much interest in my part of the country (rural OK).

As others have mentioned, it could be just as simple as the fact that the scouts are ready to do something different. Move on to the next chapter in their life. If they served honorably and worked hard while they were on the path to Eagle, thanks for your service and all the best If they just filled squares to get Eagle and then rushed out the door, perhaps that's just as well. Should their example be the one for younger scouts to emulate? Either way, if they are worth their salt as an Eagle, they'll come back to the program, eventually. PS. Can't resist a bit of heresy. As an Eagle scout, I think the whole "marked man" and all of the life-time commitment oaths are a bit much. A true Eagle will give back, in one way or another, without the solemn oaths and such.

I follow their posts on Facebook. Always a few posts every other day or so, highlighting outdoors or community service of one of their units.

Agreed

Eagle, I think you are on the right track--a lot of the Camp Trails stuff would work just fine. Just a thought/memory--the old hip belts were very primitive by today's standards. Some weren't even padded, they were just web belts with buckles. Glad to hear the old equipment will be back on the trail.

Well done, Mr. Dennler. I join RememberSchiff: scout salute!

A little bit of memorization goes a loooooooong way. The Oath and Law are broad enough to encompass the principles that we are trying to instill in Scouting. Including respect for the outdoors.

I think this is a great idea. More than ever, this old world is in need of diplomacy. And the values that scouting represents.

Stosh, kudos for the campsite clean up...that's the code in action, and far more meaningful than any ceremonial flourish. Concur, reciting is not the same as walking the walk.

I received the Winter '17 edition of the NESA Eagleletter. Rex Tillerson's photo is on the front, with a good article inside.

+1 I also agree with Stosh--teach it on-site. The current use of the code reminds me of the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade from the novel Catch 22. Can't eat chow, etc., unless you sign a loyalty oath. Balk at signing it and bingo, hey mac, aren't you loyal to the USA?! Sure, Catch 22 is fiction and the example a bit overdrawn, but I think it makes the point. I recently sat on an Eagle board, my first in years. I was surprised to see that the Outdoor Code was recited right after the oath and law. To me, the code was an unnecessary road bump, another hassle, on the way to the task at hand--asking the scout some tough questions and hearing his answers. His own words. Not memorized ones. Sure, the code is short and easy to memorize. But making scouts recite it, in proper form (whatever that might be), won't make them more outdoor minded. The scout's commitment to outdoor ethics is best demonstrated in the outdoors.

Happy holidays to all!

@@qwazse, the really good meal is key! Breaking bread. I've shared some incredible meals with Muslims in the Middle East and Central Asia during my deployments. The hospitality and fellowship were equally superb. Though we did not agree on every point, no one present felt the need to apologize for their beliefs, or grovel because of the sins committed by someone else of a particular faith. Mutual respect. Today's missing element.

IT center...good idea, but once National moves its sole Commodore 64 to the new location, there will be lots of extra space!

Very true. Those idealistic young execs in the '70s who were true believers in the Improved Scouting Program apparently haven't gotten over the fact that the ISP failed. Though they are retired or in senior positions now, they still won't forgive Bill for saving the BSA.

The new museum will be busy. At least from June to August. Lots of trekkers and training center folks strolling thru, looking to fill a couple hours before dinner or before they catch their bus to the train station for the trip home. And the gift shop will be fully stocked with all sorts of items that folks will want to buy. I know it's Wiki, but they state that about 23,000 scouts and scouters will be at Philmont for a trek during a year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philmont_Scout_Ranch Add a couple thousand more for the Philmont Training Center (I didn't look for a number for PTC) and now you've got an audience. The rest of the year, I envision reduced staffing at the museum but they'll be open nonetheless. In the fall, you'll have the autumn adventure folks, and then the winter camps. Not big numbers there, but I'm sure it will be on par or near it compared to the numbers that visit Irving now (high-dollar real estate).