Scoutmaster Minutes

May 14, 1999

Tonight we spoke of favorite memories of our two new Eagle Scouts, and the honors of this evening. But what about the future?

Tomorrow morning you’ll each wake up a little tired, very happy, and an Eagle Scout. Ten years from now, you’ll wake up each morning an Eagle Scout. Every day for the rest of your lives you’ll wake up an Eagle Scout. That’s the good news. The bad news? Each morning, for the rest of your lives, you’ll wake up an Eagle Scout. You see, it’s both an honor and an obligation.

You’ll get different reactions from people you meet. Some will find out you’re an Eagle and say, “it figures”. Others will find out you’re an Eagle and make things a bit easier for you, just because you’ve been tested. You might not notice however, since challenges often seem a bit easier, because you’ve been tested. Others will make things harder for you, just because you’re an Eagle. Again, you might not notice, because you can handle challenges. You’re an Eagle. Often, however, in a room full of people, no-one will know that you’re an Eagle except for you. But that’s OK too.

What’s an Eagle worth. To the BSA, about $16.50, the cost of the Eagle Scout Award kit. To the military, about $2,200 per year, the difference between the E-1 rank, where everyone enters the military, and the E-2 rank, where Eagle Scouts enter the military. To former scouts, especially former Life Scouts, the Eagle is invaluable. We were once close to the rank, but now can never achieve it. To most other people you meet, the value of an Eagle is the value that they place on you and your friendship. So you tell me what’s it’s worth.

In closing, I take my words from three difference sources. The first is from A. Nonymous (who seems to have written quite a bit): “Remember – Eagles may Soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines. Be careful out there.”

The second is from the famous author Theodore Geisel (we also know him as Dr. Seuss). For time considerations, I’ll abbreviate:

This is your day, so be on your way.

Go climb your mountain.

We’ll be here.

And finally, I turned to the sage advice of that 23^rd century philosopher, Mr. Spock, who said: “Live long and prosper”.

Brett and Dan, Congratulations and Live Long and Prosper.

November 26, 1999

Tonight we have recognized and honored Matthew Axxx, Eagle Scout. A Scoutmaster learns something new at every Court of Honor, especially an Eagle Court of Honor. So what have I learned tonight?

I learned that being a leader is not enough to attain the rank of Eagle. Don’t get me wrong. Learning to be a leader is very important, and is vital for a Scout to become an Eagle. But it’s just not enough. A Scout must be a successful follower also. Surprised?

Eagle Scouts don’t just appear from the sky. A Scout must want to attain the rank, usually from an early age. I’ve observed that many Eagle candidates said they first gave serious thought to becoming an Eagle at the first Eagle Court of Honor they attended, often as a new Scout or Tenderfoot. From that point forward, they had a dream to become an Eagle. The successful ones followed that dream, and moved on along the Eagle Trail.

Throughout his Scouting career, a Scout is often tested, and in those situations, he has to follow his heart, to keep up his spirit, his stamina, his mental toughness. I know that Matt faced many, many challenges along his Eagle Trail. But he didn’t lose his spirit. He followed his heart, and he moved on along the Trail.

Often as a younger Scout (and as an older one, too), a boy has to decide which path to take. Sometimes the decision is clear, there is a right way and a wrong way. Sometimes the decision only becomes clear after you look back. And sometimes the choice is never clear, and even months or years later you’re not sure that you made the correct decision, that you took the right path. In many situations, the Eagle candidate must follow his gut. Call it intuition, experience, or even a guess. The Eagle knows he has to make a decision, a choice. And using all of his resources, including his gut level sense of right and wrong, he follows that sense, and moves on along the Trail.

And of course, the Eagle Candidate follows the advice of his parents, his Scoutmasters, his Eagle Advisor, other family members, teachers, friends, strangers, or astrologers. Some of the advice is good; some of the advice is better. The successful Eagle Scout learns which advice to discard and which to follow, and he moves on along the Trail.

What I learned tonight, or maybe what I relearned tonight is that Eagle Scouts are as good at following as they are at leading, and maybe, just maybe, that made the difference. Maybe that is one of the reasons Matthew is standing before us this evening, an Eagle Scout.

January 14, 2000

This has been the first Eagle Scout Court of Honor of the rest of our lives, or at least of this year. And at this interesting juncture in the calendar, I’m certain that each one of us is overwhelmed by the bombardment of predictions about what the future holds, in almost every magazine, TV show, and newspaper. Not one to pass up an opportunity, I’m going to jump in the fray, and put my own two cents in, with my predictions of Scouting in the year 2025. In a sports analogy, it’s called “piling on.”

First, each scout, indeed each child above the age of 4, will have a personal information center on their wrist that will be a combination cell phone, computer, TV set, weather station, and GPS. And it may even tell time. But the Boy Scouts will still make map and compass reading an advancement requirement. And a good thing too, when the power goes out, or the satellites fail. BSA may even go back to morse code and semaphore training.

Next, I predict the hiking boots of the future will be infinitely more comfortable and lighter than today. But 80% of scouts will still get blisters during their first year in scouting.

Next, I predict that Citizenship in the Universe merit badge will replace Citizenship in the World.

And the easiest prediction in the lot – the Boy Scout uniform will go through 3 revisions over the next 25 years and will still be as uncomfortable and dorky looking as today.

But, with all seriousness aside, tonight I have met the future of Scouting, and it is us. The future of Scouting rests with the two Eagle Scouts that we have honored, and the many that will follow in their footsteps. The Boy Scouts of 2025 will emphasize leadership, teamwork, high moral values, and duty to God, country, and self, just as much as they do today. We have a successful formula – it worked on Mark and Greg. And the Boy Scouts organization is smart enough to know you don’t mess with success.

But we’ve also wisely planted a seed in these two Eagle Scouts. For I predict that Greg and Mark each, in his own way, will give back to his community, over the next 25 years, what they’ve taken away – enthusiasm, leadership, and Scout Spirit.

So Mark and Greg, my challenge to you, indeed my challenge to each Scout in the audience, Tenderfoot and Eagle alike, don’t make a liar out of your Scoutmaster: give back to Scouting and your community at least some of what you’ve learned and developed – your spirit and your leadership. And that’s my minute.

Troop 76, Ridgefield, CT