What’s an Eagle Scout? (19 Jul 12)

The Boy Scouts of America is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Eagle Scout rank, the highest youth rank in the Boy Scout part of the Scouting programs. The other programs’ “highest ranks” are the Arrow of Light (Cub Scouting); the Silver Award (Venturing) and the Quartermaster rank (Sea Scouting).
 
A question on a Scouting blog asked “Give us your definition of what an Eagle Scout is…”
 
Here’s mine.
 
An “Eagle Scout” is a resourceful, thoughful, fearless, creative, flawed crybaby with a heart of gold; whose strength is maintained through daily exercise, diet and meditation; and while not a fool is determined to be of service to anyone at literally any time when asked respectfully and honestly. The Eagle Scout hates evil, inequities, and dishonest people and attempts to work within the “system” to right the wrong and bring to daylight those who prey on others for their own gain. The Eagle Scout knows and appreciates right from wrong, day from night, black from white; but works within that grey area where most issues and problems occur and where he stands the best chances of helping make the issue or problem succeed. Only males may wear the Eagle Scout medal, earned through two and a half or more years as a registered Boy Scout or Varsity Scout and meeting demanding requirements for intemediate steps toward Eagle. The principles behind being an
Eagle, however cuts across both sexes and makes the term universal in meaning and in execution.
 
An Eagle Scout IS, by the program’s defination, “Prepared for Life(tm)”.

People see Eagle Scouts in action every day, although they frequently gloss over it in the daily run of being human. Eagle Scouts are those in business who pass on a “can’t miss deal” because the way the “deal” was crafted was illegal or in their minds or hearts, immoral. Eagles are the ones which may not be the one initially volunteering for tasks — but once volunteered or directed, ends up frequently as the “leader” or “the main person” in charge simply because of his enthusiam for helping other people. Eagle Scouts are those who stand up and take the hits — figurally and literally — from those who want to take advantage of someone’s fraility, or lack of defense, or their failure to observe their surroundings. Eagle Scouts open doors for others and wait until older, slower people get onto planes, trains and buses before they do. Eagle Scouts know several ways to play with their food but also know when the appropriate time is
for such play. The same is said for personal behavior, speech and gestures. An Eagle Scout knows so many things because he reads, listens and observes. He is willing to share those things but knows his own limits and the patience of others.

A visual media example of an Eagle Scout is found in Angus MacGyver, portrayed for seven years on television by actor and outdoorsman Richard Dean Anderson. The character, an agent for a secretive spy agency, knows how to carry and use a gun but refuses to use one; seldom kills anyone or anything except as food; respects others property and enjoys music, reading and hanging with his friends. His weapons of choice: the Eagle Scout’s weapons: his head, his heart, and his multiblade (Swiss Army) pocketknife. On the television show, he frequently credits what he learned in Minnesota through the Boy Scouting program and was unafraid to reveal that fact to anyone who asked him.

The series was so popular that in an August 2007 survey commissioned by the McCormick Tribune Foundation, Americans polled voted MacGyver as the favorite fictional hero they would want to have if they were ever caught in an emergency. Says a lot for an Eagle Scout from a rural state.

The character never said “I’m an Eagle Scout”. Nor did he ever wear an Eagle pin or display his Eagle certificate in his home. What he did, said and acted upon however, became undenialable: Eagle Scout.