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One youth got eagle at the age of 13.

It's cheaply gained Eagles like that which tarnishes the whole thing. I have one son who achieved his Eagle Scout rank by the age of 17 and I have another son who is 17 now and is almost an Eagle. They both put in A LOT of time to achieve that and they are no slackers. While there are some obvious slacker merit badges, there are some in which a pre-13 year old would not get done on their own.

Councils should be more thorough in vetting Eagle Scouts.

The other thing which varies greatly is the scope of the Eagle projects allowed. Both of my boys Eagle projects took over 200 Scout/hours of work which took over 5 months to physically complete. That doesn't even take into account the numberous hours coming up with a project and writing it up, and then the numberous hours writing up the conclusion.

I see some Scouts earn their Eagle Scout rank in this area with single day projects, like re-landscaping around a sign. That's a cheap Eagle project in my book and shouldn't be approved. Things gained cheaply are not cherished or respected.

that particular eagle was problematic getting his rank for that very reason. He was interviewed, and interviewed and everyone agreed he was worthy of the rank. He is the only one to ever get that rank. btw. I was laid off in 2010, NO MONEY in the council to meet payroll the Council Scout Executive was transferred to OC, and a interm from region stepped in they laid off the bookkeeper and the layoffs continue.

15 months later, I am still hunting for a job.

Conbgratulations to your sons and you.

Agreed.

As an ASM, MB counselor and Eagle BoR member it’s not hard to discern between those who are Eagle “ready” and those who are not.

I cringe at MB carnivals, fairs, expos, whatever you want to call them, because they exist for one reason and one reason only. To push through a very shallow understanding of the MB so the Scout can “earn” it.

Also, as a MB counselor for some of the Eagle required MB’s, I have told the Troop Cmte and SM that I will ascertain whether a Scout sent to me is capable of completing the requirements and comprehends the material. If he can’t, I won’t take him on.

I’ve had numerous Scouts from outside our troop drop from my MB instruction once they learn they’re going to have to do the work to earn the MB.

Case in point, last year, I was contacted by four Scouts. 3 in one unit, 1 in another. I’ve only met with the 1 Scout once since our introduction to the MB and that was at least 6 months ago if not longer.

Our son turns 16 next week and is finishing up his last 2 MB’s and is currently planning out his Eagle project.

I moved him out of his previous troop because I knew he wasn’t going to get access to the program and that he probably wouldn’t have chance to earn his Eagle.