Eagle Scout rank still mark of prestige

By DAVE PAYNE Sr.

PARKERSBURG - The timeless prestige of the Eagle Scout rank in Scouting hasn't faded and that ultimate Boy Scout rite of passage hasn't become any easier to obtain, Scouting officials said.  It's a lofty goal. All but three percent of Scouts never make it, said Jeff Schwab, Scout executive for the Parkersburg-based Allohak Council.

The rank takes so much work and time to earn, many lose their drive along the way, Schwab said. "Once a young man hits 16, he has other interests, whether it's sports, cars, girls or all of the above. Eagle has to be something he wants and wants bad. That's why it's the pinnacle of Scouting," Schwab said.

Scouting offers ample opportunity for boys without ever obtaining the Eagle rank and earning that rank requires years of setting and obtaining goals. It takes a minimum of about three years to earn, though many work six or seven years to obtain their goal.  Earning that Eagle rank is a long, arduous process which requires hard work and independent thinking - that's something employers look for as they hire, said Glenn Miller, Scoutmaster of Parkersburg Troops 16 and 17.

"There's a reason the first man on the moon (Neil Armstrong) was an Eagle Scout," Miller said.  According to the Boy Scouts of America Web site, Eagle Scouts who have made a names for themselves include: Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell Jr., former President Gerald Ford, billionaire Ross Perot, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Stephen Fossett, who was the first to circumnavigate the world alone in a balloon.

To earn the Eagle, scouts must earn nearly two dozen merit badges, 10 of which are specifically required. Most of these badges can take weeks to earn and requirements include attending city council or county commission meetings.

Parkersburg resident Carter Currey, 15, has earned the rank of Life Scout with Troop 16. Eagle is all that's left after obtaining that rank and it will take nearly another year of hard work for Currey to reach his ultimate goal.  He still has his Eagle project to do and is fulfilling the leadership requirements for the rank by serving as his troop's senior patrol leader, which is the highest leadership position before assistant scoutmaster positions.  Currey said he has had his eyes set on that Eagle badge since he joined Scouts at age 11.  "Eagle was this huge, big accomplishment. There were some Scouts who had made Eagle and when they would tell you about it, they would get excited. You want to feel like that," Currey said.  Currey had to complete a community-service project to earn the Life rank. Last year, he organized a crew of Scouts to reopen a nature trail at Blennerhassett School after a storm brought tornadoes to the area and felled trees along the path.  His Eagle project will need to be even more cumbersome. He hopes to build a gazebo and picnic tables along a trail on Blennerhassett Island. Before he can even begin this project, he must conduct a feasibility study of sorts to determine how the project will be accomplished. Then, his scoutmaster must approve it.

While the Scouts learn leadership and organizational skills along the way, the community also greatly benefits since Scouts must perform their required projects to help a non-profit organization.  Middle Island, part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, has been the location of many Eagle projects for scouts in the St. Marys area.

Janet Butler, outdoor recreation planner for the refuge, said the Eagle Scouts help with improvements to the island the refuge doesn't have the manpower to perform itself.  Last year, the refuge buried a time capsule on Middle Island to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. refuge system. That wouldn't have been possible without help from local Scouts. A parent of a Scout in Miller's Troop 16 had the capsule fabricated, she said.

The individual Scout's Eagle projects are much more complex and time-consuming than construction of a time capsule. Last year, Scout D.J. Pitts of the Newport, Ohio, Troop 224, completed his Eagle Scout project by organizing a crew of Scouts to build a handicap-accessible parking lot at the head of a nature trail. Pitts said the group of Scouts worked two full days and several evenings on the project.

Employers as well as college and military recruiters are well aware of the requirements and earning the Eagle Scout rank speaks volumes to them about a young man's character, Schwab said.

"It takes three to five years of persistent work to reach that goal. It's a good resume builder. It does carry prestige in business and industry of someone who sets themselves apart," Schwab said.  Schwab, himself an Eagle Scout, said earning that rank is something a man never forgets or takes lightly, he said.  "The day I was awarded my Eagle is right up there with all my accomplishments. My six-year-old son is in Tiger Cubs and I hope that in 10 or 11 years he will be an Eagle," Schwab said.  

The Eagle Scout rank is an impressive item for a young man's resume and is a great asset when applying for college or a job, Miller said.  "If he's interviewing for a job and he's the only Eagle Scout in the bunch, he'll get the job. If he goes into the military, he comes out of basic training as a Pfc. (Private First Class), while others have to wait a year. It opens doors nothing else will open. How many adults will work on something for five years before they ever see a culmination of their efforts," he said.