The Eagle Scout Award

The Eagle Scout Award is the highest honor in the BSA. It represents dedication, loyalty, and hard work not only to one's troop but more significantly to oneself. Studies and statistics show that those who have been awarded the rank not only are more likely to stand out in competion in employment but they are also better workers. In the U.S. Armed Services it is very common for Eagle Scouts to be given additional awards or a higher rank than a non-Eagle Scout.

History

The rank of Eagle Scout was first awarded in 1912 to Arthur Rose Eldred of Troop 1. Since then only about 2 million young men (2 per cent of registered scouts) have achieved it. In 1982, a scout from Illinois became the 1 millionth eagle scout and in June of 2009 a sixteen year old scout from Minnesota became the 2 millionth boy to receive the award. Over the years there have been some changes like increasing the number of merit badges needed to get Eagle to 24 and lowering the number of required merit badges to 10 but today, like in the beginning, the number of merit badges needed is 21 and the number of required is 11.

Some famous Eagle Scouts:

• Gerald Ford
• Robert Gates
• Henry Ross Perot Jr.*
• J. Willard Marriott Jr.*
• George Meyer*
• Michael Bloomberg*
• Walter Scott Jr.*
• Stephen Bechtel Jr.*
• Charles F. Dolan*
• John Anderson*
• Steve Fossett
• Neil Armstrong
• Steven Spielberg*
• Walter Cronkite
• Walter B. Wriston
• Robert McNamara
• Donald Rumsfeld

* Denotes Billionaire Boy Scout

Requirements:

1. Be active in your troop, team, crew, or ship for a period of at least six months after you have achieved the rank of Life Scout.

2. Demonstrate that you live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in your daily life. List the names of individuals who know you personally and would be willing to provide a recommendation on your behalf, including parents/guardians, religious, educational, and employer references.

3. Earn a total of 21 merit badges (10 more than you already have), including the following:

• First Aid
• Citizenship in the Community
• Citizenship in the Nation
• Citizenship in the World
• Communications
• Personal Fitness
• Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
• Environmental Science
• Personal Management
• Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling
• Camping
• Family Life

4. While a Life Scout, serve actively for a period of six months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility:

• Boy Scout troop. Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, or instructor.
• Varsity Scout team. Captain, cocaptain, program manager, squad leader, team secretary, Order of the Arrow team representative, librarian, quartermaster, chaplain aide, instructor, or den chief.
• Venturing crew/ship. President, vice president, secretary, treasurer, boatswain, boatswain's mate, yeoman, purser, or storekeeper.

5. While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project should benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) The project plan must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and troop committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, BSA publication No. 512-927 , in meeting this requirement.

6. Take part in a Scoutmaster conference.

7. Successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review.