Whaaaaat? I've never heard something like that before.
Eagle Scout Roll Call!
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RetPara
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Made to Eagle in '70 about a year after Dad died. Scouting had been my parents only real social interaction. Mom and Dad wear both trainers and Dad had been a District Commissioner in the El Dorado, Eureka Kansas area. When we moved to Oklahoma, my first night in Boy Scouts (from Webelos) the scoutmaster gave dad a box of paper work and told him he was the scoutmaster. That was in 1966, Dad loved the troop and it grew with sponsorship and support. In the fall 0f '68 his heart disease (almost exactly ten years after his first heart attack- no coincidence) forced him out of work and Scouting. He died at work (first week cleared to go back) that February. There were five of us that made Eagle at the same time, VERY unusual for a troop from a very small town. But, it was Dad that made it possible.
I was an Assistant Scoutmaster in Flagstaff after the Marines and ran my own troop in Fayetteville for a while. By time my son was in Webelos, scouting had changed too much. He wanted to play Youth football and we both had a LOT more fun with that & AYSO.
In Flagstaff the council had been divided in LDS troops and non-LDS troops. The LDS troops ran merit badge classes and mass produced Eagles. Then Scouting seemed to go a lot further to the right than I was going. I have had very little to do with Scouting for over a decade now...
I was an Assistant Scoutmaster in Flagstaff after the Marines and ran my own troop in Fayetteville for a while. By time my son was in Webelos, scouting had changed too much. He wanted to play Youth football and we both had a LOT more fun with that & AYSO.
In Flagstaff the council had been divided in LDS troops and non-LDS troops. The LDS troops ran merit badge classes and mass produced Eagles. Then Scouting seemed to go a lot further to the right than I was going. I have had very little to do with Scouting for over a decade now...
At the time I enlisted the Corps was one of the faster tickets into combat and I dreaded the thought of missing the war. That's not bravado, I just wanted to fight. Like a lot of 18-year olds.
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Life Scout and Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow. Ran out of time regarding the age cutoff for Eagle.
Went to every summer camp while I was a Scout. Completed the Mile Swim every year that I did.
Learned a lot, taught a lot and accumulated lots of good memories during those times.
Went to every summer camp while I was a Scout. Completed the Mile Swim every year that I did.
Learned a lot, taught a lot and accumulated lots of good memories during those times.
Scouting is great...Where else can a kid play with knives, hatchets and fire without his parents being around to spoil the fun? And not only that but when I was a Scout, we got range time at summer camp with .22s. Do they still do that, or has shooting at Scout Camp fallen victim to the times?
@RetPara -- Your dad sounds like he was a great man. Certainly loved. My dad was also the Scoutmaster for a while. During my time in the troop, there was one SM before him, and then him, then only one more.
Yes, that is an unusually large amount of scouts to get Eagle at the same time! Our troop was pretty small at a little less than twenty five active members on a pretty consistent basis. We were all getting our Eagle's one by one; going down the line in seniority in the troop. It made for a lot of emotional courts of honor and of course good food.
Three years or so after I got eagle, though, the troop was dying out and the leaders chose not to recommission. The few remaining scouts, however, did all earn their eagle rank-- the dying wish of the troop. In the twenty or so years of our troop's existence, we had over 50 scouts achieve eagle (I'd have to check exactly but that's a rough estimate).
Yes, that is an unusually large amount of scouts to get Eagle at the same time! Our troop was pretty small at a little less than twenty five active members on a pretty consistent basis. We were all getting our Eagle's one by one; going down the line in seniority in the troop. It made for a lot of emotional courts of honor and of course good food.
Three years or so after I got eagle, though, the troop was dying out and the leaders chose not to recommission. The few remaining scouts, however, did all earn their eagle rank-- the dying wish of the troop. In the twenty or so years of our troop's existence, we had over 50 scouts achieve eagle (I'd have to check exactly but that's a rough estimate).
I'm assuming this has something to do with it becoming, i guess, easier? Or less in touch with the original values of scouting? I'd guess both.
Nice, man! Order of the Arrow was really fun as I remember it. Did your lodge ever host Conclave or the like? Did you go to any NYLT camps?
Unless your dad is the scoutmaster :wall:
Yes! At least when I was in scouts about three years ago. In fact, there is the shooting, archery, and tomahawk/knife throwing! Depending on the camp you went to, there was shotgun shooting, too.
Not sure what you mean by "NYLT" camps. Did attend NLATS LLD and completed the NLS train the trainer. Ocala was usually the host location for enclaves.
One of my biggest disappointments - never made it to Philmore.
Funny how years ago, this once was considered Secret.
policemedic
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You're kidding.
devilbones
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I feel super old. I graduated boot camp in '97.
He's not, actually. When you were in Order of the Arrow, you were not suppose to talk about what you did at the events and such.
policemedic
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That was true when I went through The Order of the Arrow in to 1960's. For me, it happened at a Camporee weekend with probably 50 troops at the site; hundreds of Boy Scouts. Each night there was a large bond fire in the middle of the Camporee. Each Troop had a task. Some where taking care of the fire, or having a story to tell, or a short skit to perform. The first night at the bond fire I got smacked with some pine bows and pulled into line behind Order of the Arrow Scouts dressed out as Native American Indians (NAI); two actually were NAI. We went around the bondfire once, then we left the bondfire. I was theirs for the next 24 hours. We were sworn to secrecy about what we saw, what we did, and where we went. If we did everything we were told to do, we would become members of The Order of the Arrow. To this day I have never told anyone anything about those 24 hours that earned me The Order of the Arrow.
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policemedic
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I haven't told anyone either. It's more so that no one really asked so it wasn't a problem haha.
policemedic
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Maybe it was different in Canada. I was a Beaver (@RackMaster ?) but never really placed much stock in it.
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I got grilled by some of the troop members, until the SM got wind of in. It was natural curiosity on their part. I would have asked too of someone else who had gone through "the ordeal".
I think our troop was a little different because everyone went into Order of the Arrow at some point, so they knew they'd just have to wait. I'm sure yours was at least a little more hardcore than mine though. It certainly wasn't easy, but as I understand it, most scout stuff was pretty intense not even that long ago.
I wouldn't feel that old, I was just shy of 18 when I got it.
Agreed. I was a Boy Scout but it wasn't a big deal. I think up here it's more so for Cadets which I think had more relevant skills taught.
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