Scouts

This probably does not come as any surprise to you, reader, but I was never much one for playing sports in elementary or high school. My replacement (by choice) for these typical extracurricular activates was Boy Scouts.


I remember starting off as a Cub Scout in my school, and this experience gave me some of my closest friends. As a matter of fact, one of them (Ben) is a fellow Eagle Scout. That said, Cub Scouts were a big deal to me as a kid, enough so to make the transition into Boy Scouts. I was a member of Troop 152 in Midland, associated with my grandparents' church. The troop was on the small side when I started as a Tenderfoot, but got even smaller as time went on. The troop eventually had one member (me) by the time I was a Star Scout. At this point, I pretty much gave up on Scouting - even though I had some great experiences to that point, and I was only one rank away from Eagle, in addition to being a new member of the Order of the Arrow.

That all changed when Cal Yonts and the remainder of another troop came in and took over 152. I wasn't sure what to think at first, but I fit in really quickly. There were some great adult leaders, and some wonderful scouts at that point. I was the only "old" member of 152, and (as I remember) was closest to Eagle. I had about a year and a half before I turned 18 to make Eagle, and so with a great deal of effort and help, I did. I was proud to be the first Eagle from the "new" Troop 152. Here's a photo of me and my grandparents from my Court of Honor:



I am proud to tell people that I am an Eagle Scout. I don't know very many knots, but I have good First Aid skills, and I think my professionalism and leadership skills have to do a great deal with the early, high-quality instruction and practice I got in Scouts. I might not agree with all of their current policies, but I do think it is a great organization for young men to be in and gain great skills in.

I am also a member of the National Eagle Scout Association, or, NESA. This has been great, but not NESA is basically telemarketing - they only want me to give them money or buy stuff from them. NESA has subcontracted with some sort of telemarketing firm, and now they frequently call me and email me about stuff they want me to buy. I don't think this is right or appropriate. Why does Scouting's highest rank and honor have to be monetized? It just bothers me, and I hope it does not affect potential scouts' or the general public's perception of Eagle Scouts in a negative way.