AJ stands for Andrew Jackson, our 7th president. His reputation for toughness earned him the nickname "Old Hickory." A hero of the War of 1812, Jackson has appeared on the $20 bill since 1928.

Facing the board

The Eagle Award ceremony is a big deal! The Eagle Award Ceremony is a Big Deal

Left to right: Me, Mark, Mike and Tyler swearing the oath during our Eagle Award ceremony.

Once you are accepted to receive the Eagle Award, the next step is to actually receive the award. The Eagle Award ceremony is a big deal because it's the highest award in Boy Scouts.

Usually the new Eagle Scout will ask someone close to him who made a big impact on his scouting experience to speak at his ceremony. They tend to reminisce about the good times and talk about how proud they are—this is when the tears flow.

Then the scout receives his award and swears an oath to remain true to the ways of the Eagle Scout.

Close

When the scout completes all the requirements, he still has one more step: a board of review.

The candidate goes in front of a panel of adults, mostly leaders from other Boy Scout troops.

The panel questions the candidate about his experience in Scouts, his Eagle Project and his plans for the future.

The scout is excused from the room and the panel discusses whether he is worthy of the Eagle award.

Sitting in the hallway waiting to hear my destiny was nerve racking because some boys are denied the award. I was so happy when I was approved to receive my Eagle Scout Award.

Making me who I am

Our tent is like a second home.

Tyler (left) and Mike set up a tent at one of our camping trips.

My Second Home

Going on as many camping trips as we did, the tent is like my second home. I went on:

• A weeklong sailing trip in the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior;
• Two backpacking trips in the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico.

The first backpacking trip lasted six days and the second one twelve. I have rock climbed on cliffs, cliff jumped, canoed down rivers, and plenty more.

Close

If anyone who's not in scouts says they've done that much between fifth grade and twelfth grade, I ask them, "why weren't you in Boy Scouts?"

Looking back on my years of scouting, I realize Boy Scouts made me who I am. Scouting taught me things I couldn't learn anywhere else.

I learned to work for the things I want, and to make sacrifices. Having fifth and sixth graders around at meetings and camping trips has taught me patience and leadership.

I learned how to work with other scouts to survive in the wilderness and in the real world. I've experienced more in my time as a scout than some people experience in their entire lives.

In addition to the things I learned and my experiences, the friends I made through scouting are irreplaceable.

The only thing more fun then sailing for a week or hiking in the mountains is doing all of that with your closest friends.

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