Eagle Scout

Haha wouldve been sick to see other Nsers! It was definetly my favorite scouting expirience yet (maybe) People were squirting glow sticks all over everything and it looked so cool, we get back to our campsite and our scoutmaster is like WAT THE FUCK!!!

Unfortunatly you either need really good connections to get into the jambo or have a former scout from your troop going to West Point, it was undescribably (sp?) epic.

to the dude who made this thread.  do it.  seriously.  get off ns right now and call around to local troops to see if you can get back into it.  it takes a ton of time, but it was one of my proudest moments recieving my eagle surrounded by people who had helped me along the way, people i worked with at summer camp, people i was on OA ceremonies team with, my troop, my family, etc.  i wrote a long ass speech for my ceremony, i wanted to express everything i got out of scouting kinda, read it if you want:

"Let me start off by saying thank you to all of you for being here today.  Having attended my fair share of ceremonies, I know full well what can be like to be in the audience.  Knowing that, I’ll try to keep this as short as I can.

In life there are many tasks, many trials, and many obstacles that we must rise above.  When I joined the Boy Scouts five or so years ago, I had no idea what I was doing.  I was never in a Cub Scout Pack, had never participated in any Troop Camping, and only had a vague idea of what the Boy Scout Organization was all about.  I remember dropping my brother Tim off at meetings every Monday night, watching him drive off to camping trips with his fellow scouts, and visiting him on Family Night at Summer Camp.  I had always liked camping, lots of people do, but my main motivator for joining scouts was something a little more personal.  My goal was to stand here right where I am today giving this speech.  Now, at the time, I didn’t know it.  All I saw in the Boy Scouts was an opportunity to do the things I’ve come to love dearly. 

Joining Boy Scouts at the time that I did I was already at a disadvantage.  Being an older kid in the crew and in my grade, I had one less year than everyone else to make Eagle.  Having not done Cub Scouts, I never earned the Arrow of Light and had to earn the rank of Scout, where no one else in my patrol did.  I think that initial setback drove me to get caught up and then some at a quick pace.  It was now my turn to go to meetings, to go camping, to go to summer camp.  It all came at a critical point in my life, and I couldn’t imagine what I would be like without it.  I grew into self-awareness, I grew into independence, and I grew into who I wanted to be.  I can credit Scouting and the outdoors with showing me who I really want to be.  The person you see standing here today is one confidant in himself, confidant in his relations with others, and confidant in the path he has chosen to lead.

As I progressed down the path and grew alongside my friends, I learned quite a bit about people and how they work.  I also saw Scouting become something more than what I originally had taken it to be.  My understanding of scouting grew through participation in three interrelated but separate sections; my Troop, the Order of the Arrow, and Summer Camp. 

Troop 7.  When I joined the troop, it was great!  We had many active scouts, many active adult leaders, and a very well-rounded program.  We even had individual themes for each month!  Music, climbing, winter camping, public speaking, pokemon, it was great!            

Now I am happy to say that our Troop, severely decreased in size and level of organization, is still as great, if not greater, than it used to be.  I love going to scouts every Monday night, and I don’t ever want to leave early.  I think the reason for this is unique, and really defines what scouting can do.  When I joined Troop 7 I didn’t know anyone besides Andrew, and I only knew him because he’s my neighbor.  Now, five years later, Andrew, Alex, Phil, and John, are some of my best, most reliable, longest-lasting friends.  For some reason I think bonds like this might not have been created if we weren’t the last few on a sinking ship.  Quality over quantity boys.  (my troop will cease to exist after producing 30 or so eagles when we dont recharter this year)

Anything that I enjoy doing I like to be passionate about.  The Order of the Arrow is an honor society within scouting that I can really identify with.  There are the lodges and the politics and the national level but I think the coolest part is the Ceremonies team.  A great group of guys always, (Nick, Hunter, Alex) it takes practice and complete immersion to be truly in touch with the ceremony.  You have to be, relaying the message properly to hundreds of young scouts and their adult leaders can be difficult.  Something about the interaction with nature during a ceremony, the fires, the silence, the full moon, the stars, can put a person in a spiritual state.  If I had more time I would’ve loved to have been more involved, but unfortunately it didn’t work out.  Passion in your occupation is always important, but it becomes much easier and much more enjoyable when you can feed off the natural passion created by organizations like the OA.

The real world can be a difficult place to get along in.  Summer camp provides for young kids the opportunity to be independent for a week and learn how to live separate from their parents.  I was always excited to come to camp and make a name for myself in a place where no judgments were ever made, where a kid could come and be himself.  It was a great environment to grow up in, and I will always remember my times as a scout at Camp Wakpominee.  There are a few moments in my life that I regard as “turning points”, or when everything swirling around in my head cleared and I saw more than anything else what I could do and what I wanted to do.  This has happened twice at camp.  Once as a camper and once as a staff member.  My most vivid remembrances come from my time as a counselor.  That first week as a CIT, all I remember is not wanting to be the “suck”, so I worked as hard as was required of me, never slacking, never slipping by.  I created for others a vision of myself as one who could be relied on, and I am glad I did.  The opportunities that this created for me to make new friends were enormous.  I believe that in that first week I made more friends than I ever had before in such a short period of time.  There were so many names to learn!  My excitement and vigor towards life in general increased tenfold.  I can say that without a doubt relationships forged at camp are some of the strongest I have ever experienced. 

Scouting changed my life.  What was once a goal to stand here today and receive my Eagle Scout Award became something much much more.  It turned out to be the greatest journey of my short life, a journey into independence and maturity.  I am becoming, every single day, I am becoming who I want to be.  I am on the right path, without a doubt, Scouting assured me that." 

just got back from philmont myself.  130 crew miles in 10 days, baldy and the tooth full 60 lb packs/claim.