The reason for these big adventures are many. They help a fella realize that anything can be accomplished if you really want to and work at it, and that small town boys can have big adventures. Most of the boys come from families that are nowhere to the point of being able to just fork over the cash, and that is one of the main points. To get people working together for a shared goal, together.

My boggle is that to go to Canada will effectively eliminate two of our boys who are just starting to play high school football, and should they decide to forgo a week of football in early July, will put us on the bad side of their parents. We have in the past adapted to the dead-time, but things in Canada don’t seem to run that way….something about the season being a little later.

The whole reason we went to Canada the first time was that one of our parents was a Queen Rover Scout from Scouts Canada and talked about his experiences as he grew. His boy made his Eagle just months before his father passed away from cancer.

Our approach in the troop has always been that a scout can do many things and we have seen them accomplish that over and over. However, how would I approach a Coach that this is something that a boy might do and still play football. It is from the football side that I see a mentality that says that a choice must be made. 17 years ago, one of our young men dropped out part way through what was the first championship season for that school in 18 years. He stated that to finish eagle meant more to him than a ring. He worked very hard and had one of the best projects I have seen, the restoration of what we all thought was a small and forgotten cemetery out in the county that turned out to be about 5 times the size it appeared.

I certainly don’t want to exclude them, but I am ever an optimist and believe that there is always a way, it’s just a matter of how everything is started. When I was a scout and earned my Eagle in 1974 I never had the opportunity to play in school sports and I believe these fellas should be able to do this and scouting. Thanks

On the whole I think the majority of people, men and women alike, don’t consider trades because the unions just make it so hard to get into them. Unions are like dealing with the mob. THEY DO NOT promote fairness and equality for anyone who would like to get into the trades. If you have no one to sponsor you, then you’re screwed. I don’t care who you are, you’re not getting a job as a millwright, an electrician, a plumber, or whatever. You do not just walk in off of the street and apply to a union job. It just doesn’t happen. The unions are screwing up the trades. I see want ads in the paper sometimes looking for skilled trades people and offering really nice and very livable wages. What has happened is that because of the unions, there are no longer enough trained trades people out there and now companies are struggling to find people with experience. The experienced trades man is retired or getting ready to do so and so there’s a lack of skilled trades people out there now. Companies or unions or who ever is truly in charge is going to have to start training people again in order to keep good people in these fields. In Michigan at least, unions have the apprenticeship programs for these jobs, locked up from the mainstream public. In other words you can’t just get into an apprenticeship program without the union’s sponsorship. You can go ahead and spend your money to take the classes but when you get out you still won’t be able to obtain employment because the union decides who gets the jobs. Your education does not.

All I am saying Mike is that there is a lot more to this than meets the eye. It isn’t JUST that people seem to not want to get into the trades, they probably can’t or are finding it very hard to do, so they give up.

On the note of don’t work harder work smarter idea, what I have found is that for 30+ years of my work life, I have worked really hard. The problem is that I could never live on what I made. I would not mind working hard if it meant I could live on it. But if it doesn’t mean I can live on it, then I am NOT working hard anymore, to make a poverty level wage. I have been at some jobs working my butt off for 6 to 8 years and never was there any intent on the company’s part to recognize the hard job I was doing and then adjust my wage to a better place or move me up into something that would make that happen. That’s why the philosophy of working smarter and not harder has become popular I think. Because it seems the hardest jobs that are non-union are some of the lowest wage crap jobs out there and they never progress to anything better, at least I feel this is especially for women.

And at the moment, here in Michigan I have been out of work for 6 years, due to a few things a lay off being one of the reasons. Another reason as that I had to take care of my parents for some of that 6 years so for the last few years, I could not even get a job that took me away from home. They have since passed away and I have been looking in earnest again for the last two months and there’s nothing I can even apply to most of the time. I realize that with current government policies in place this is creating unsure futures for companies, I am going to have to take anything I can get and it’s probably going to be another one of the same old kind of jobs I have always had. Another go nowhere low wage job. PERIOD. I don’t have enough valuable experience to get a job outside of Michigan. I could never make enough money right away, to move out on it. That’s the problem with the jobs I could get. They didn’t give me valuable experience that I could use someplace else and negotiate a better wage. Most companies look at my experience on my resume and think SO? It’s just horrible. I feel like such a failure. The experience Merry Go Round is such a drag. Before the bad economy I could at least find a job albeit a terrible job. They were those jobs that were a dime a dozen and you could get one easy. NOW? I can’t even apply to most of the limited jobs that are even being offered. When it’s hard to get a job even at a place like Meijer’s or Target, you know the economy isn’t recovering.

I agree with your feelings that the trades should get a fairer shake and blue-collar work should be seen with as much respect as white-collar work. But there’s more to it than that I am afraid. Food for thought Mr. Rowe. Solve those problems I have pointed out, namely the unions, and I’d go to work and work hard just as long as I could LIVE on it.

I guess I am not surprised that there is a forum with comments about your Eagle Scout letters. I attended an Eagle ceremony on Thursday and yours was one of the letters of “commendation” received and read at the scout’s ceremony. I thought your letter was in very poor taste.

While I’m aware of you certainly (I’m from Baltimore too), I can’t say I follow your shows however my perception of you before and after the letter are very very different. What I heard I think were the words of someone that thinks of themselves as pretty superior to the average person, certainly the buffoon you refer to from your former troop and apparently just about everyone else it seems.

Your “revelation” that the letters from the White House are form letters is meaningless, as you know it would be impossible to draft a personal message to hundreds if not thousands of boys and girls each month for this and other deserved accolades. Strangely, you decided in your superiority to, rather than express heartfelt congratulations, recognition and encouragement to deflate the joy of the moment with stupid commentary. Your message discouraging sitting on your laurels is a good one no doubt, however the method you use to make that point is hurtful and petty.

Why not take the high road Mike, and tell these youth that there effort was meaningful and taught them important lessons for their life, which as you clearly point out will not be a guaranteed cakewalk due to their Eagle status, but that goes really, without saying. Unless of course your purpose was more about you and not them.

Sincerely,

Mark Leuba

Ellicott City, MD

In todays erra of PC, your direct approach is a wonderful breath of air in an otherwise polluted era and I thank you for that.

By the way, my son recently earned his Eagle, so thank you for your letter, which was straight from the heart and right between the eyes as always! 🙂 Thanks for all that you do.

There are things in life you have to find out what is more important to you, You posting about the Rank of Eagle Scout and asking do you have to Be and Eagle to Succeed!! Well this is where common sense comes in, One you don’t have the Rank of Eagle so how would you know what its like to Succeed as an Eagle!!! You don’t because to me you go to Scout meetings cause your friends are there or because it gets you away from things in life!! No,Becoming a Scout,Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle Scout, That takes commitment.

One thing I learned over the years of working my way up in Ranks is you don’t go there cause your friends are there. I wouldn’t have got anything accomplished if i did that! I went there and had a goal set and I wanted to become and Eagle Scout!! I became and Eagle scout this year!!! It took commitment and lot of work to EARN the Rank of Eagle Scout.

The Rank of Eagle, Will help you succeed in a lot of things those things you have to find out, Like Eagle scout will help you in the School “College”, Work “Jobs”, Military,Etc. and Best of all what you will get out of becoming and Eagle is You never Quit, you kept going even when the going was Tough, Nothing in the world is going to be handed on a Silver Platter. You got to Earn what you want. Mike Rowe, EARNED his Eagle, I Earned my Eagle, As to Very Few EARNED There’s!!

So, With that being said! It’s up to you to find out if you want to EARN the Rank of Eagle Scout, Are you willing to make that commitment, Some things you have to make time for!! Heck when I got in to the Boy Scouts I was in football, School, I made the time to make it to scouts, Even if I was in my Football Uniform I made it to the Meeting. You got to make Sacrifices in life. When I got to High school, I sacrificed droping ROTC and Playing Football, because I couldn’t do both. But yet I still managed to make good grades, make it to practice and make it to the Scout meeting.

So Joshua, Eagle Scout is an Amazing Award to Earn!! You got to do the nasty and the hard stuff to Earn the Good stuff. Just think about that!!

On yesterday’s show you helped cows to deliver their babies. The last cow you helped, you stood about 4 feet away from her, pulled the calf out and let it drop to the ground while still holding onto its feet. It’s head had to hit first! Why didn’t you get someone to hold its body and lay it to the ground instead of letting it bang to the ground. I thought that was so cruel and insensitive!

A commenter on Bryan on Scouting had a link to this topic. I bet there will be a jump in comments here. I know Josh wrote this letter two years ago, now.

I read Josh’s letter and the replies, then looked for something in the added comments. I didn’t read every one, but I didn’t catch one thing. Josh writes that he is doing very well, thank you, in school and in the swim team. Josh, naturally is going to the very best college that he can. I’d like to add my two cents to that topic.

Any college worth its diploma is looking to produce well rounded scholars. If you’re very good in biology, for example, try to get a BS degree without courses in humanities or social sciences. Yup, American History, too, along with microbiology and genetics.

What does Eagle Rank have to do with this? Look at the 21 merit badges: First Aid, Citizenship (3 of ’em), Personal Management, Outdoors (Swim, Bike, or Hike), Family Life, and more. Are these connected? Some more, some less. This is “Breadth”! Becoming an Eagle requires many things, like those breadth requirements.

Now, is admission to U of I/Urbana or Yale competitive? Others have commented on the “tip the scale” value of Eagle over Not-Eagle. Don’t you think your “best college” will need to cut all those applications down to what they can take in? Eagle is not the guarantee, but you can bet it can help in two ways. For the college, they see a candidate who can deal with many varying interests, and would be a good fit in the student body. For Josh, he has tackled a Life-Size project with success. Won’t college be easier for this experience?

Go Josh, continue your studies with excellence. Aim for the school of YOUR choice – not only with the hopes just to make that cut. And get the Life Experience that is unique to being an Eagle Scout!

You are brilliant!

Had this same discussion with my youngest son tonight. For inspiration, and to make sure I handled it correctly, I looked for your original letter. I discovered this one instead.

You’ve nailed it! Just as you always do.

Thank you so very much for your commitment to Boy Scouting and the eloquent way you speak in the exact manner a 14-to 17-year-old boy requires.

Most every kid needs a break by the time he hits Life Scout. I understand and appreciate that. They are tired. They have been challenged. A LOT.

Honestly, parents could use a bit of a break at this point as well, whether they realize it or not. Parents at this point get very excited and driven to get their son to Eagle as fast as possible. What they too often fail to remember – it is the boy’s award, not theirs. We, as parents, need to be able to let go and allow our son to grasp the significance of the award and motivate himself to earn it.

It is a difficult step for us and a topic of a great many discussions with parents I have as a professional Scouter. It is hard for a parent to release control and let the boy decide for himself. The beauty of Boy Scouts is…. That is EXACTLY what the boy has been working toward all along. The decision to finish what he started….. Or not….

You are not only a famous and attractive role model to boys, but you are also an influential outsider who can reinforce the message every parent, Scoutmaster, and mentor is attempting to convey. And you do it in a humorous and relatable manner.

Long-story-short, you are the best. And I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into every response you make to our young men. You don’t have to do it, but you choose to do so anyway. For that, I as a parent of two boys and a Scouter through-and-through, am eternally grateful.

Kara Asmus

BSA Field Director, Northeast Nebraska

Absolutely “spot on” as the kids say!! I am a 52 year old black guy who earned Eagle while living on a military base in Kentucky. I can “Amen!” with you about Eagle and its overall importance. I can also state with absolute certainty that the many things I’ve been able to do in my life — BSA paraprofessional in eastern Kentucky and northeastern Tennessee in the late 70s; Army Soldier for 2 years and officer for 28 years; and all of the jobs in-between — none of that would have happened without the influnce, self-confidence, and experiences I gained through Scouting and in particular the trail leading to Eagle and several Palms afterward.

I strongly agree with you that we’re spending too much time “making everyone feel good” and less time emphasizing that “people have to endure loss and failure”. When I talk with Scouting volunteers, I talk about the idea of “letting Scout youth leaders fly or fall on their own.” As a Scouting adult, my job in life is to coach, mentor and advise the young men and women who lead our Scouting units — and to allow them to make mistakes and correct them (“catch them” as they are falling”). Some parents feel that’s cruel — but those are the same parents who complain when their son doesn’t get the “humpty-hump” badge for just “calling it in” when other Scouts are really earning the badge for their best efforts — win lose or draw (wasn’t that a game show? *smiling*).

Giving a young man the tools they need to confidently go out into the world and at least ATTEMPT the task at hand is what Scouting to me has always been about. I never considered myself a “token” anything — I earned everything I’ve earned because I was willing to go do the extra camping. The extra hiking and bicycling. The extra conservation and community service projects — with other groups I never knew existed until I brought my brown hands in with theirs. My parents wanted me to be in Scouting initially because their friends’ children — well EVERYONE’S children — was in Scouting. When life changed, and Scouting was no longer “in”, they wanted me out. I refused and in that matter was happy with the teen rebellion. Being the “sole black guy” or the “only black guy” had nothing to do with it; to me, Scouting’s universal appeal of “if you meet the requirements, you earn the award or badge” worked. Color or ethnicity never mattered…and in the real world, while many places try to “make it matter”, experience, hard work and sacrifice wins out all of those other things EVERY TIME.

As I tell people, “I can tell you’re an Eagle Scout without you informing or enlightning me”.

Josh needed to read what you wrote — and I will be using parts of it as I continue to talk with and encourage people to become involved, support and defend what Scouting REALLY is all about: the development of strong citizens of quality character. Like you. Thanks!

— Settummanque!

(LTC Mike Walton, USAR Ret.)