Trail to Eagle;
The Trail to Eagle Scout requires tremendous commitment to stay on
a long and sometime rough path. As a Life Scout, you are just one
step away from youth's most significant accomplishment and honor.
But that's a big step, and only 56% of our Life Scouts complete Eagle.
Happily, the choice is yours and you probably have actively involved parents (few Scouts make it to Life, let alone Eagle, without this support).
You can advance at whatever rate you want, but remember that all Eagle requirements except the Board of Review must be finished before your 18th birthday.
You are close to the top of a high mountain climbed by fewer than one out of every 172 boys, and less than 3% of all Scouts.
Eagle Scouts are valued in our society, because they have proven that they can achieve a long-term goal despite many obstacles. This will help on college admission and on job applications.
Hopefully this information will provide you and your parents with key information to help you make the final steps to Eagle.
BSA requirements;
- Be active in your troop and patrol for at least 6 months as a Life Scout.
- Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in your everyday life.
- Earn a total of 21 merit badges (10 more than you already have), including the following:
- First Aid
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in the World
- Communications
- Personal Fitness
- Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
- Environmental Science
- Personal Management
- Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling
- Camping, and
- Family Life*
- While a Life Scout, serve actively for a period of 6 months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility:
- Patrol leader,
- assistant senior patrol leader,
- senior patrol leader,
- troop guide,
- Order of the Arrow troop representative,
- den chief,
- scribe,
- librarian,
- historian,
- quartermaster,
- junior assistant Scoutmaster,
- chaplain aide, or
- instructor.
- While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project should benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) The project idea must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and troop committee and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, BSA publication No. 18-927D, in meeting this requirement.
- Take part in a Scoutmaster conference.
- Successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review.
Note: All requirements must be completed before a candidate's 18th birthday. The Eagle Scout board of review can be held after the candidate's 18th birthday.
If you have a permanent physical or mental disability, you may become an Eagle Scout by qualifying for as many required merit badges as you can and qualifying for alternative merit badges for the rest. If you seek to become an Eagle Scout under this procedure, you must submit a special application to your local council service center. Your application must be approved by your council advancement committee before you can work on alternative merit badges.
The Alternate requirements are also listed in more detail under Eagle Scout Rank - Alternate Requirements on page 18 of the 2003 Boy Scout Requirements book.
Contact information;
...Troop Eagle Guide - Scoutmaster David Gudal 817-473-4822
...District Eagle Advancement Chairperson - Mike Wagoner Eagle Review Board: mike@txwagoners.com 817-467-2469
