Eagles Nest

[il Padrino Ute]

Troop 482. Acquired the rank of Eagle Scout at age 14, not because I loved Scouts, but because my dad was the Scoutmaster and he wouldn't let me quit to spend more time on baseball until I got the Eagle.

[DU Ute]

Troop 53, squeaked in just before I hit 18.

[I.J. Reilly]

Eagle here. Submitted my papers for my project at 15 under threat of not receiving a license, layed off for a few years and with a fear of disappointing my mother, got the eagle a week or so shy of 18. The court of honor didn't happen until almost a year later despite my largest protests. I really just wanted them to hand it to me in the hall. That was a no go, and at almost 19 I had to endure a court of honor in a borrowed scouting uniform that didn't quite fit.

[il Padrino Ute]

Eagle here. Submitted my papers for my project at 15 under threat of not receiving a license, layed off for a few years and with a fear of disappointing my mother, got the eagle a week or so shy of 18. The court of honor didn't happen until almost a year later despite my largest protests. I really just wanted them to hand it to me in the hall. That was a no go, and at almost 19 I had to endure a court of honor in a borrowed scouting uniform that didn't quite fit.

Why bother going to the Court of Honor? You could have skipped it.

[Guest]

Eagle? lol. Let's talk about the tap out; that will seperate the wheat from the chaff.

[Guest]

Here is the Western Region site of the OA, if any Arrowmen here need to get the latest patch from the Trading Post:

http://western.oa-bsa.org/

Sounds like maybe the we need to talk to the Region Chief though...

Favorite Scouting Memory

Playing poker and doing "thorns and roses" with the Majors of OA Service Corps at '05 Jambo

http://western.oa-bsa.org/leadership/chief/profile.php

[Tim]

Eagle? lol. Let's talk about the tap out; that will seperate the wheat from the chaff.

OA is horse crap. A popularity contest. I wasn't invited in spite of being the most decorated scout in the history of the troop.

[kccougar]

Eagle just before my 16th birthday. I'm currently the scoutmaster for our ward.

[I.J. Reilly]

Why bother going to the Court of Honor? You could have skipped it.

The court of honor was just for me (the ward wasn't exactly an eagle factory; I was the second) and I would have broken my mother's heart. So, those are two good reasons for going despite being uncomfortably fit into a too small shirt.

[TripletDaddy]

Eagle? lol. Let's talk about the tap out; that will seperate the wheat from the chaff.

Actually, let's NOT talk about the tap out. You are not supposed to discuss it outside of your OA brothers.

WWW.

[il Padrino Ute]

The court of honor was just for me (the ward wasn't exactly an eagle factory; I was the second) and I would have broken my mother's heart. So, those are two good reasons for going despite being uncomfortably fit into a too small shirt.

Understood. It's never good to disappoint Mom.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I never had any desire to get an Eagle Scout. Then when one of my friends got his I was going to his court of honor I started feeling like maybe I should have tried harder and at least attempted to get it. Then they invited people to the "Eagle's nest" and I literally laughed out loud. It was like a spiritual confirmation that avoiding getting an Eagle was the correct choice.

[Pheidippides]

Eagle at 16, something like 5 palms, no more room on my sash for merit badges, all the religious awards, etc., etc.

I am not necessarily anti-scout (it helps that we get massive funding from a local business (and by local, I mean publicly traded on the NYSE but based in Houston)) but I do loathe the people who somehow feel they are dishonest or otherwise not true to themselves/their religion/their upbringing if they don't list Eagle on their resume. As someone who often interviews, that sort of thing on a resume is more likely than not to be a bad thing - with me because I know the sort of people who usually put that on resumes, and thus enter the interview with preconceptions, and with others because of the whole uber-right-homophobe image (deserved or not) that accompanies.

I also am not a fan of kicking kids in the ass until they get their Eagle. My mom did it to me, but I will not do it to my son. I will, however, help him as much as he would like and gently encourage for a time. I think the real value of Scouting lies in introducing boys to the outdoors and pocketknives - both things I've already done.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I think the real value of Scouting lies in introducing boys to the outdoors and pocketknives - both things I've already done.

Neither of which requires BSA.

Just think of all of the cool things you could do without the overhead of the BSA. Camping, biking, sports, music, water skiing, surfing, snorkeling, fishing, canyoneering, rock-climbing, ATVs, shooting, .... Not to mention all kinds of community service projects.

Forget the roundtables, chartering, merit badges, and all of that nonsense. It is a distraction. Let the kids pick the activities that interest them. Let them learn leadership skills and let them use the activities as a fellowshipping tool.

Those that want the BSA experience could still get it by joining with a troop. But requiring all of the kids to do it and "calling" leaders (many of whom don't want to do it) is crazy.

[Pheidippides]

Neither of which requires BSA.

Just think of all of the cool things you could do without the overhead of the BSA. Camping, biking, sports, music, water skiing, surfing, snorkeling, fishing, canyoneering, rock-climbing, ATVs, shooting, .... Not to mention all kinds of community service projects.

Forget the roundtables, chartering, merit badges, and all of that nonsense. It is a distraction. Let the kids pick the activities that interest them. Let them learn leadership skills and let them use the activities as a fellowshipping tool.

Those that want the BSA experience could still get it by joining with a troop. But requiring all of the kids to do it and "calling" leaders (many of whom don't want to do it) is crazy.

That sums up my thoughts nicely.