Boy Scouts: How far did you get?

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

My Scoutmaster was one the finest men I have ever known and that troop was lucky to have him for 25 years. Have good memories of the other adult Assistant Scoutmasters, plus that troop had quite a few long term Troop Committee members. It celebrated its centennial in 2018.

 

[meaneyedcatz]

I made it to Weblos. The leaders son was a classmate of mine and he got a badge or patch for everything with half the work (his words not mine).
In my young mind I figured that was a load I wasn't putting up with so I bailed.
Not saying I was right to quit.
In hindsight I wish I would've put up with it. I love the outdoors and it might have helped me grow up sooner.

 

[Abbynormal]

The Cub pack I joined was a joke. No one made any rank.

A few years later, the Scouts had a recruiting night and Dad took me and we met one of his coworkers who convinced me to join the troop.

All the Dads/Leaders were WWII/Korea vets. We were given expectations when we joined and the Dads followed through and our troop had a 15% Eagle rate.

I made Eagle in 4-1/2 years and was the 7 th of about 15 in my HS class to achieve it.

Went to Philmont, Camp Kikthawenund life guard staff, made OA and went to 1973 Jamboree in PA.

Dad went on to be a 4 beader Woodbadger, but after HS, I lost all interest.

 

[Grayfox]

As a kid I was both a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout. However, both units had problems retaining adult leaders and both folded within a year. I did make it to summer camp once.
Many years later my older son decided he wanted to be a Cub Scout. In the process, both my wife and I ended up being Adult Leaders.
My oldest did go on to become an Eagle.
The wife quit when they graduated to Boy Scouts.

But this is my story. I loved being a Scout Leader and stuck with it for 12 years. They have a saying for adult leaders : "If you're not having as much fun as the kids, you ain't doing it right." I had lots of fun.

During my time, I held positions of:
Webelos den leader
Cubmaster
Assistant Scoutmaster
Scoutmaster
Roundtable Staff
District Trainer
Unit Commissioner

I was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, completed Wood Badge and won the District Award of Merit.

If you think taking a bunch of kids camping is fun, you should try spending a training weekend camping with a bunch of adult leaders aka the big kids! Silliness is the order of the day!

The truth is I was getting a bit too involved. I was Scouting 2 or 3 evenings every week and camping often twice a month. But I enjoyed every bit of it.

Anyway, in 2000 I had a heart attack and triple bypass. By then my older son had made Eagle. The younger one never did particularly like Scouts and wanted to quit. I figured it was a sign from God to slow down. So after 12 years I hung up my hat. I do still miss it, but I have a lot of wonderful memories.

 

[mtgianni]

I made it to Life and have no real regrets. Both of my brothers were Eagle Scouts and mother received the Silver Beaver award. I volunteered off and on for local troops when my son and grandson were in them.
At age 14 I discovered the three G's and don't regret it. [guns, girls and gasoline]

 

[Chuck24]

I won my heat in the Pinewood Derby, that's it, that's the high point.

 

[yaktamer]

This is a timely thread for me. Son number two is scheduled for his Eagle board of review tomorrow night. So both of my sons will have attained that goal. Although a successful Cub Scout, my Boy Scout career ended with my quitting before getting Tenderfoot. As the ultimate nerd, the only merit badge I earned was Scholarship. So, partly as a family joke, I persuaded both of my sons to earn that badge as their final one on the road to Eagle.

 

[357-RevolverGuy]

I had great memories Scouting but only made it to First Class due to our family having to move overseas.

Also just something I once heard that stuck with me. Becoming an Eagle Scout is probably one of the only achievements accomplished as a child that you could list on a resume as an adult.

 

[Grayfox]

Becoming an Eagle Scout is probably one of the only achievements accomplished as a child that you could list on a resume as an adult.

Very true. I know of more than one occasion where there were multiple equally qualified candidates for a job and the being an Eagle Scout made the difference.

 

[65Whelen]

Many fond memories of scouting. My brother, two years older than me, joined the Boy Scouts back in the mid-sixties. I just could get the Morse code memorized, why I didn't make first class.

Looking back I consider Scouting as one of my major character building experiences.

 

[mdf9183]

I was not in the Boy Scouts or any other organization, since I have held the belief that I would not join any organization that would have me as a member.

 

[Grayfox]

Its not uncommon for boys who graduate from Boy Scouts to come back and visit now and then. I remember one of ours was home from college and came by.
He said he already had a pretty heavy class load but needed one more. Then he noticed that his school offered a Camping class. He figured that should be easy enough. First day the instructor asked "Who has any camping experience?" This young man said "I do, Eagle Scout." The instructor smiled and said " You have an "A". See ya next semester."

 

[cballman]

Eagle scout Nov. 1, 1977. Was all kinds of leader for my sons cub scout pack and troop. He crossed over in to Boy scouts in 2001. He made Eagle along the way in 2008 i believe. I have been and are still a Assistant Scoutmaster with the troop. My daughter was pissed that they finally let the girls in because she said she could have made Eagle before my son. Got back last night from our council camp helping clean and set up for Summer camp. Sat and Sun was the first time in years that my family has been to camp at the same time. My son was the Medical officer for the week. My Daughter is the Waterfront Director. And my wife and I help out. Yes scouting has changed for better and for worse in the few years I have been involved. Now to brag but I have been around and helped at least 90 achieve the rank of Eagle since 1981.

 

[Targets Guy]

I never made it. I got thrown out of Cub Scouts. We were making a train and gluing life savers to the engine (they were the tires) and somehow mine got thrown into the den mothers hair after they were coated with glue.

 

[Igiveup]

I made Eagle in about 1963, Order-of-the-Arrow, Assistant Scoutmaster for 12 years and received the Silver Bear Award. My father was a Sea Scout equivalent of Eagle, and my son is an Eagle Scout. I guess it runs in the family.

 

[BC38]

When I was in Boy Scouts in the early 1970's I made it to 2nd class and then lost interest.

My most memorable experience with Scouting was when my boys were in Cub Scouts. They were 4 years apart in age, and Cub Scouts is a 4-year program, so I was a Den Leader, and went to Cub Scout Camp 8 years in a row.
They both lost interest shortly after graduating to Boy Scouts - especially my younger boy. That was right about the same time that the whole program changed from Boy Scouts to just Scouts.

 

[Hair Trigger]

I started in Cub Scouts, circa 1961, age 7. I earned the Wolf, Bear, and Lion patches, then achieved Webelos. My Mom was a Den Mother and the Pack I belonged to was very active with 7 Dens. I had just transitioned to Boy Scouts at 10-1/2 and had my Tenderfoot badge when I had a bicycle accident and broke my right leg, (hit by a car), so I was sidelined for a while. We moved to another town, but found a really good Troop, the Scoutmaster was really youth oriented and also managed the local Little League baseball teams. I started playing Little League as well as staying in Scouts, and made it as far as Star, with all but a couple of merit badges needed for Life, when we moved again. I was 13 by then. Next town, plus the passing of time, the troop I joined was not as active and I started losing interest. During summers, I was staying with an uncle and working on his dairy farm, which also took me out of scouts for several months, and I gave it up before making Life rank. I would like to have achieved Eagle, but it wasn't in the stars for me.

I learned a lot from Scouts, began a life-long love of the outdoors and camping and backpacking that lasted into my 50's. I first started shooting in Boy Scouts at summer camp, learned on a Remington bolt action .22 rifle. From what I've seen and read, Scouting has made big changes since those days, not all of them beneficial, IMO.

 

[CH4]

Very true. I know of more than one occasion where there were multiple equally qualified candidates for a job and the being an Eagle Scout made the difference.

I actually put it on my resume at the top of the "Awards and Community Involvement" section. It often created a favorable diversion, especially if there was an Eagle Scout on the panel.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Q: What's the difference between the Army and the Boy Scouts ?
A; The Boy Scouts have Adult Leaders.

 

[DWalt]

I wasn't a Boy Scout for very long before I became a dropout. Not something I could work up any enthusiasm for. My younger brother was the same way. Neither of us got to the point of earning a single merit badge. I did have an uncle who was a bigwig in the local district BS organization.

 

[CH4]

I can understand where many of you are coming from in regards to dealing with age-related distractions and or poor troop leadership. Our troop was very fortunate to have great, dedicated Scout Masters. In addition to having activity-filled, meaningful meetings each week, we also had monthly weekend adventures with at least a one two-week backpack, canoe trip, summer camp every summer. Out troop averaged about 50 strong and included a diverse group of boys from every socioeconomic background in the community; it kept many from going down the wrong path. I wish all scouts could have enjoyed the experiences to the same extent I did.

 

[kozmic]

I earned my Life rank and started to plot my course towards Eagle when I found high school sports and girls. That one-two punch was the death of my BSA aspirations. Admittedly, scouts was fun and educational while it lasted, but so was the next chapter of my life.

 

[mtgianni]

In retrospect the BSA started in me a strong dislike of dressing in uniforms and wearing stuff around my neck.

 

[SweetMK]

Rather than being in the Boy Scouts,,
I was the Weblos leader for 6 years,,

Not quite Cub Scouts,, not quite Boy Scouts,,
Eleven years old,,

For me, the boys were addicted to my knot tying,, and math,,

Yes, I said math,, I always came up with something unique for them to calculate,,
They LOVED it,,

#1 ,, when I got a new group,, they were mesmerized by calculating the volume of the room we were in,,
and comparing that to other volumes,, like an 18 wheeler, etc,,

I could ALWAYS keep them busy for the ENTIRE evening,, with math ideas,,

How much does a telephone pole weigh?
How many gallons of water in the bath tub,,
How many RPMs does a car tire spin?
(THEN how many RPMs does a plane tire spin??)

That kind of stuff,,,

 

[Engineer1911]

I was a motivated Boy Scout and eagerly participated in all the activities right up to the Morse code requirement for First Class. Why? Radios work and at the end of the year, it was the end for me.

I shared leadership duties for a Cub Scout den for 2 years and suddenly quit when my new job took me and the family from Sioux Falls to Augusta, GA.

 

[gjgalligan]

My father was an over the road truck driver.
I don't recall what level I had achieved but the troop leader decided that since my father couldn't "participate" (attend the Court of Honor) I was asked to leave.
Great leader huh?

End of my scouting career.