11 YEARS LATER...

When I got home this afternoon I saw a box on the counter from the National Eagle Scout Association. My directory had finally arrived and was thrilled to open it up.

A few months back I was contacted by NESA asking if I'd like to be put into the 2008 Eagle Scout Roll Of Honor Directory. People have always said that the Eagle Scout accomplishment lasts a lifetime. Quite honestly I rarely look back on it. Every once in a while some type of scouting will come up somewhere and I'll say, "I'm an Eagle Scout." To most people it's a complete shock. It's not something that a lot of people know about me.

When I was going through some of the 800+ pages in the book I came across my name on page 169. Looking back now it was quite an accomplishment, considering all that I was going through.

I started my Boy Scout Journey on July 9, 1991, and earned the Rank of Eagle Scout on May 28, 1997. During those years I held several positions with in Troop 634 which was originally based out of the Sun and Sail Club in Lake Forest and later moved to Rancho Canada Elementary School. I was also a Den Chief for Cub Scouts and Webelo Scouts.

Prior to earning the Rank of Eagle Scout, I became actively involved in the newly formed Lake Forest Division of the Orange County Sheriff's Explorer Post. After starting the explorer stuff, I had no intention on attempting to finish my Eagle Scout. Both programs fell on the same night and same times and I hated missing out on the explorer stuff.

Looking back, I'm happy that I was pushed into finishing it. Not only was I happy that I actually accomplished my goal, but that I was able to accomplish something so important while not liking it at the time and having to sacrifice a lot to actually finish it out.

My accomplishments from those years of my life really help formed and shaped the person who I am today. Not that I near perfect, but it has definitely given me an education and an understanding that so many teenagers are really missing out on in these stages of their lives.

"The Eagle Scout Award. It's Scouting's highest rank and among its most familiar icons. Men who have earned it count it among their most treasured possessions. Those who have missed it by a whisker remember exactly which requirement they didn't complete. Americans from all walks of life know that being an Eagle Scout is a great honor, even if they don't know just what the badge means.

The award is more than a badge. It's a state of being. You are an Eagle Scout-never were. You may have received the badge as a boy, but you earn it every day as a man. In the words of the Eagle Scout Promise, you do your best each day to make your training and example, your rank and your influence count strongly for better Scouting and for better citizenship in your troop, in your community, and in your contacts with other people. And to this you pledge your sacred honor."

This is quite true. My best friend Keagan and I achieved the Rank of Eagle Scout on the same day, just 45 minutes apart. To this day I still have all of my Boy Scout patches, uniforms, other paraphernalia, and yes, my Boy Scout Handbook.

Eagle Scout Board of Review (May 28, 1997)















Me and Keagan (May 28, 1997)