Throughout a man’s journey through life, there are many things that affect him whether it be for the good or for the bad. For me, one really big event that changed my life was being a Boy Scout and attaining the rank of Eagle. Becoming an Eagle Scout was a goal of mine and one of many other people, but only four percent of the people that join Boy Scouts end up earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Starting at Tenderfoot and moving up six ranks to Eagle takes a couple years of hard work. You have to earn a certain number of merit badges, spend many nights camping, and you have to work a lot of service hours. Finally going through Boy Scouts and getting Eagle changed my life because it taught me how to be a leader, how to have fun outside while
Lastly, the chaplain aide would lead the troop on devotions every Sunday morning. He would also bless the food and pray before we went on the trip. All of these leadership positions that I had to be in to become an Eagle Scout taught me many lessons that will help me not only help me in scouts, but also help me outside of scouts. For instance, when we have a group project in school it always helps to have a group leader. This also carries into sports too. Sports teams need leaders in the locker room and on the field to keep people in line and make sure they are doing right. That is how being a Boy Scout and becoming an Eagle Scout has had an effect on my
When I started Boy Scouts, I was very reliant on my parents to help me do many things. As time went on though, I became less reliant on my parents. My first camping trip I had to rely on my parents to help me pack everything. They went through a checklist with me, double checked everything for me, and basically packed everything up for me. As more and more trips came along, I started doing more by myself. The biggest example of me being self reliant was my Eagle Scout Project. Grownups were not allowed to do anything except offer means of transportation. For my project I had to email many people to get passwords to gates, get people’s signatures, and plan out what supplies and tools I would need. Being more self reliant has also helped me in my day to day life, especially in school. My parents used to call out vocabulary words to me, print off my schedules, and remind me to study and do my homework. They do not do that anymore, and the lessons in Boy Scouts that I learned about self reliance has really helped me overcome that. This will also play a big impact when I get older and go to college too because I will be myself. That is the third way going through Boy Scouts and getting Eagle Scout has affected
“I brought you guys here for better”. These are the words my mother told me many times as a boy and again not long ago. My mother has always pushed me in my education, and I finally realized that my junior year of high school. My grades in everything were outstanding this year, but I was still missing out on something. I was still not very involved in school. One day an individual from the American Legion came to our school to talk to all the juniors. He told us about an event that happens every year and in every state. It was a prestigious event to be accepted to. Having no real involvement in anything, I did not think for a second that I would be accepted, but, regardless, I applied, and two months later I received a call from that same man who told me I had been accepted. I was a big reluctant and indecisive about going because, aside from the fun and games, there was government learning and marching involved. I decided to go, and will never regret that decision. The experience there changed my views in so many ways. I met so many new people, greatly strengthened my skills in leadership, and I realized I had the potential to not only dream about my goals, but to live them as well.
Congratulations on your Eagle Scout! It takes a supportive and involved family to achieve that rank. Cole and I park cars at LSU home games and have met a few people from other troops, but so far, you are the first person we have met from Troop 65. Some adult men that I respect are Eagles and give their Boy Scout experience high praise for many life lessons. Hopefully, scouting will "balance" out Cole's life experience of being raised by women and give him practical life skills.
The most meaningful and challenging experiences in my life have been through sports and the 4-H club. They have instilled the values of perseverance, confidence, and teamwork within me. I feel that my peers and others could learn valuable life lessons through participating in these organizations. They are not just clubs, but a guiding light for life. For example in sports I have had the opportunity to play on both losing and winning teams. This has given me a different perspective of looking at things. I now realize that even if you fail or lose that is no reason to give up, you still have to get right back up. Just realize your mistakes and errors. Then come back the next time, mentally and physically, ready to meet the challenge. To often in life youth and adults alike fail at something and automatically think that they cannot do it, and give up. Instead of just pushing themselves to run another lap, lift another set, study for another hour, or learn another theorem. Imagine a world if the early American settlers had given in to the British, if the North had given in to the South after the first loss of the civil war, or if Michael Jordan had given up after being cut from the team in high school. People just need to learn to have perseverance and believe in themselves. 4-H has been a series of stepping-stones for me. When I first started out at age four I was shy and afraid to do things that I had not done before, but now I have blossomed into a confident and outgoing young man. I no longer fear getting up in front of large groups and speaking because of the experiences I've had in public speaking events. In addition, 4-H has given me the chance to develop myself as a leader. Over the years I have held various leadership positions on the club, county, and district levels. Also, 4-H has given me the chance to go into the community and help people by leading youth in workshops, assisting the handicap and elderly, and also learn from what others have to teach. In both of these organizations I learned the need for teamwork. For example last year my football team went 0-11 and the main reason because of that was we were not a team.
Back in the day when I was very little, I remember that my dad used to take care of me. He would never let me run around the house when glass could off break and hurt me. As I kept growing up my father started to give more freedom but also gave me more responsibilities; like he wanted me to do the chores of the house, not all of them but some. I knew they were not mine to do but I still help. When I went off to college and I had to do all by myself, I realize that my father did good on making me do my laundry, chores and etc., when I was young. Besides I knew that I had to do my chores for me to go out with friends. Although I had this kind of responsibilities at a young age I can say that it helped in life. But because some parents overprotective their children and they are not exposing to real life, children might not know how to function in society when their parents die.
Every day of my life I have woken up to the sound of Reveille, and gone to bed listening to Taps. I have moved nine different times, know the feeling of having my dad deploy more than four times, and eating Thanksgiving dinner in a DEFAC is second-nature to me. Being an army child is a huge part of my life, however it does not define who I am; it has shaped how I view the world. Because of my life as a military child, I have determined that I am compelled to positively influence how others view life.
... campus but at camp too. Another exceptional display of leadership during the semester was by our cadre. Handling certain situations that arose over disputes between cadets or amidst the government shut down conveyed to myself the skills taught in ROTC like mental agility and innovation happen daily. For instance, configuring multiple plans to continue through with a fall FTX for the MSIII. Reinforcing my trust within my cadre to best prepare my peers and myself to excel both at camp and during our careers in the U.S. Army.
As a high school student I had planned on attending the Air Force Academy, but when my then girlfriend (now wife) became pregnant we decided I needed a new plan. With no financial means to go to college on my own I applied for and received and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship to Michigan Technological University. While attending college I was lucky enough to have the experience of becoming Wing Commander, and then Inspector General, both of which allowed me to work directly for our Detachment Commander (an O-6 select). Additionally, I was able to attend many special training courses that providing me opportunities to meet everyone from the Commander of Allied Air Forces Southern Europe to the Secretary of the Air Force. All of these experiences gave me a great insight early on into what senior leadership is really like.
The most honorable experience that I have had is working on my Eagle Scout project. I learned how to become a better leader, tackle difficult situations and how to work with others. All of these skills helped me be a better person.
The core values I think represent me the best are Honesty, Friendly, Helpful, and Courteous. These are a few of the things I learned from achieving the rank of Eagle Scout in my Boy Scout troop, the scout law has twelve core values but these are the ones that best represent me. Each of these four words I depict in my everyday style whether its helping someone with directions or holding the door open for someone whose hands are full to making sure that I am polite to everyone I meet and making sure that I use my own work and to not plagiarize someone else’s just to complete some school work, or receive a higher grade on a test. The other eight values that are in the scout law are my best characteristics and those are loyal, kind, obedient, cheerful,
Since elementary school I have been in Celina's Boy Scout Troop 69. Starting as a Tiger cub and after many years eventually becoming a Boy Scout. 10 years later it is my last year of being a Boy Scout and I will be aging out in April. From building fires, tying knots, and learning first aid, scouting has taught me life skills that I will never forget. The greatest lesson of all though has to be grasping the skills of being a leader. The character and roles of a leader are very important for everyone to understand. But they can also be hard to grasp. I was 16 and decided to run for the position of SPL or Senior Patrol Leader. The SPL is in charge on all troop activities and is tasked with running things smoothly. The
Another influential incident in my life is going to FCHS. Going to FCHS also caused me to lose some of my friends. Even though I lost those friends, I made many friends who are really nice. I also learned alot about who my real friends are.
People of today think that self-reliance has gone too far, that maybe we ask too much. Yet some people can’t live up to that expectation, leaving them asking for help, and that's okay. Being self-reliant isn’t about just being able to speak your mind, being able to voice your opinion, it’s about being able to do things all on your own. Ralph Waldo Emerson, when first writing about self-reliance was all about believing in yourself and that your thoughts were worth being told and to be heard by others. Later Benjamin Anastas wrote his own paper stating how self-reliance had been manipulated over time and corrupted to others’ views, making Emerson’s point that people should do what they think is right invalid.
I joined Girl Scouts when I was six years old and continued with it until my senior year of high school. Without Girl Scouts, I know I would not be where I am today. By the time I entered high school, my troop consisted of a mere eight girls. Despite that small number, we were able to take on big projects that our leader gave us entire control over. It is because of these events—Girls Night Out, the Father Daughter Dance, and Spa Night to name a few—that I learned how to be a leader. Planning these events taught me how to organize, manage my time, and delegate tasks. Being a leader was never something I was thrilled to do, but Girl Scouts forced me out of my comfort zone and taught me skills I will use for the rest of my life.
By achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, each of you has proven to yourself, to your community, to your state, to your country and even to the World that you are Can Do, Will Try person.
Many years ago when I was a freshman in high school, an event happened to me that changed my life for the better. My friend invited me to go hiking with him and his sister. He was going to go hiking in Yosemite. The following day I prepared myself mentally and physically in order to accomplish this hike.