The Eagle Court of Honor was happily moving along. Several speakers had inspired the audience and Scouts alike, then the final speaker before the actual presentation took the podium. He spoke about another Eagle Scout he’d recently read about… One who went on after Eagle to earn a fistful of palms and virtually every merit badge available: over one hundred! His commentary on this feat was, instead of praise, an admonition. To that recollected Scout he offered, “Get a life!”
Get a life? Isn’t that exactly what that young man had been doing? It struck me that this insulting speaker was either insensitive, jealous, clueless, or some combination of all three.
Get a life? The merit badge program offered by the Boy Scouts for nearly ten decades does exactly that! This young man had, in the course of his quest, learned about things that no school, club, team, church group, or other extracurricular activity offers. He learned about aviation, veterinary medicine, American cultures, canoeing, fire safety, public health, wilderness survival, metalwork, fly fishing, composite materials, theater, Indian lore, astronomy, space exploration, shotgun shooting, drafting, farm mechanics, railroading, surveying, textiles, truck transportation, dentistry, pulp and paper, and the learning and skills go on and on! I challenge anyone to name another youth program that offers this breadth of subjects—all learned-by-doing; not by page-turning or having to listen to someone jawbone.
Get a life? Not hardly! Scouting is about life!
To this speaker, and anyone else who feels inclined to disparage the sorts of things a young man can learn and do and experience in the adventure called the Scouting program, I have a suggestion: Get a life.
Happy Scouting!
| Got a question? Have an idea? Send it to AskAndyBSA@yahoo.com. (Please include your POSITION and COUNCIL NAME or TOWN & STATE)(July 7, 2009 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2009) |
|
|
Letters to AskAndy may be published at the discretion of the columnist and the editor. If you prefer to have your name or affiliation withheld from publication, please advise in your letter..
About AskAndy
Andy is a Board Member of the U.S. Scouting Service Project, Inc.
Andy was recognized in 2017 as a National Distinguished Eagle Scout and Regent of the National Eagle Scout Association.
He is currently serving as council member-at-large. His previous position, which he held for over 20 years (except for several years when he served as District Commissioner and Assistant Council Commissioner-Training), was Unit Commissioner. He has previously served as Den Leader, Webelos Den Leader, Cubmaster, Pack Committee Chair, Scoutmaster, International Representative, and--as a Scout--Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. He is a charter member and founding director of his prior council's Alumni Association and Eagle Scout Alumni Association, both established in 2001. He earned Eagle Scout rank at age 15, in 1957; two years later, he earned the Explorer Silver Award--at that time referred to as the "Double-Eagle." At age 16, he served on the National Junior Leader Training Camp Staff at Schiff Scout Reservation (at that time this was a salaried position). He also served on the Philmont NJLIC Staff in 2002, 2003, and 2004, and, later, on two Pilot Regional NAYLE Staffs. His recognitions include: Kashafa Iraqi Scouting Service Award, Distinguished Commissioner, Doctor of Commissioner Science, International Scouter Award, District Award of Merit (2), Scoutmaster Award of Merit, Scouter's Key (3), Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award, Cliff Dochterman Rotarian Scouter Award, James E. West Fellow (3), Wood Badge & Sea Badge. He has attended four National Scout Jamborees: Scout in 1957, First Assistant Scoutmaster in 1993, National Staff in 2001, and NESA Featured Speaker in 2014 and 2017. The BSA included his article titled "Frictionless Scouting Events" was incorporated into the BSA National Training Video, "Meetings of the District" for ten years. He is a charter member of the BSA National Advancement Advisory Board and has written multiple technical articles for the BSA Advancement Team's "Advancement News" since 2012.
Read Andy's full biography
The NetCommish web site was selected by Scouting Magazine in 1998 as one of ten "Quality Scouting Web Sites." The article, entitled "
Comments are closed.