Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over 2.75 million youth.
Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges, 14 of which are mandatory for the award. The Eagle Scout must demonstrate Scout Spirit, an ideal attitude based upon the Scout Oath and Law, service, and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages. Eagle Scouts are presented with a medal and a badge that visibly recognizes the accomplishments of the Scout. Additional recognition can be earned through Eagle Palms, awarded for completing additional tenure, leadership, and merit badge requirements.
Those who have earned the rank of Eagle Scout also become eligible, although are not required, to join the National Eagle Scout Association.
History
The BSA's highest award was originally conceived as the Wolf Scout, described in the June 1911 Official Handbook for Boys. The August 1911 version of the handbook changed this to Eagle Scout. The medal illustrated in the handbook was a profile of an eagle in flight, but was changed to the current design before any were issued. In their original conceptions, Life Scout, Star Scout and Eagle Scout were not ranks, but part of the merit badge system that recognized Scouts who had earned a specified number of merit badges. Eagle Scout was awarded to any First Class Scout who had earned 21 merit badges.The first Eagle Scout medal was awarded in 1912 to Arthur Rose Eldred, a 17-year-old member of Troop 1 of Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York. Records show that not only the national officers sat on Eldred's Board of Review, but also included Lord Baden-Powell, who just arrived in the United States earlier in the day of January 31, 1912. Eldred was notified that he was to be awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in a letter from Chief Scout Executive James West, dated August 21, 1912. The design of the Eagle Scout medal had not been finalized by the National Council, so the medal was not awarded until Labor Day, September 2, 1912. Eldred was the first of three generations of Eagle Scouts; his son and grandson hold the rank as well. In the 1960s, the Kansas City area awarded more Eagle Scout badges than any other council in the country, resulting in the creation of the Eagle Scout Memorial there in 1968. In 1982, 13-year-old Alexander Holsinger of Normal, Illinois, was recognized as the one-millionth Eagle Scout, and Anthony Thomas of Lakeville, Minnesota, was the two-millionth in 2009.
Hamilton Bradley of Rome, New York, is the earliest known Black Eagle Scout in BSA history. His Eagle Scout court of honor was held at 7:30 p.m. on December 19, 1919, at the Rome Free Academy, according to Rome Daily Sentinel records from the time.
On October 11, 2017, Boy Scouts of America announced they would begin a program to include girls in the Boy Scout program beginning in 2019. With the introduction of Scouts BSA and the acceptance of girls, the age limit for Eagle Scout was extended. In February 2019, the first girls joined the renamed Scouts BSA program. New youth members, girls or boys, 16 years of age or older, but not yet 18 who joined between February 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, could request an extension to complete the Eagle Scout Award requirements after they turn 18 years of age. In 2020, the first female Eagle Scouts were added to the Boy Scouts of America. On February 8, 2021, nearly 1,000 female Scouts became members of the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts. Members of the Inaugural Class were commemorated in a special edition of Scout Life magazine; the publication formerly known as Boys' Life.
Requirements
The rank of Eagle Scout may be earned by a Scout who has been an active Life Scout for at least six months, has earned a minimum of 21 merit badges, has demonstrated Scout Spirit, and has demonstrated leadership within their troop, crew or ship. Additionally they must plan, develop, and lead a service project—the Eagle Project—that demonstrates both leadership and a commitment to duty. After all requirements are met, they must complete an Eagle Scout board of review. The board of review can be completed up to 3 months after their 18th birthday as long as all other requirements are completed before their 18th birthday. Venturers and Sea Scouts who attained First Class as a Scout may continue working toward the Star, Life and Eagle Scout ranks, as well as Eagle Palms, while registered as a Venturer or Sea Scout up to their 18th birthday. Scouts with a permanent mental or physical disability may use alternate requirements based on abilities, if approved by the council.Eagle Scout may be awarded posthumously, if and only if all requirements except the board of review are completed before death. A board of review may be held and the award presented to the Scout's family. The Spirit of the Eagle Award is an honorary posthumous special recognition for any registered youth member who has died in an accident or through illness. The Line of Duty Fallen Eagle Recognition is a recognition for Eagle Scouts who have died in the line of duty in professions such as the military, law enforcement or emergency services.
Eagle Scout Service Project
The Eagle Scout Service Project, or simply "Eagle Project," is the opportunity for a Scout to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project for the benefit of any religious institution, any school, or their community. The project is not allowed to benefit the Boy Scouts of America or its councils, districts, units, camps and so forth. It also cannot be of a commercial nature or be solely a fund-raising project. There is no official requirement for duration of projects.Development
Eagle Scout requirements have evolved since the award was conceived. A requirement to earn 11 specific merit badges was added in 1914, which underwent minor changes in 1915. The Life–Star order was reversed in 1924, apparently because the five-pointed star of the Star Scout insignia could be associated with the five merit badges required to earn the rank immediately following First Class Scout. In 1927, Eagle Scout began the transition from being a super merit badge to a rank. As a result, the first requirements for tenure were created and Scouts were required to be an active First Class Scout for one year. The initial requirements for what became the service project appeared with a requirement to show satisfactory service and the number of required merit badges increased to 12. In 1936, the ranks of Star and Life became mandatory, and the number of required merit badges rose to 13. It was at this time that Eagle Scout became a full-fledged rank. In 1952, age limits were set so that adults over 18 years of age could no longer earn Eagle Scout and the service project requirement was slightly expanded to "do your best to help in your home, school, church or synagogue, and community." In 1958, the number of required merit badges increased again to 16 of the 21 total merit badges needed to obtain Eagle, along with the first requirements for service and leadership.In 1965, the requirements for the service project and specific troop leadership were defined, and the number of required merit badges returned to 11. The Eagle Scout candidate was required to plan, develop, and carry out a leadership service project. Minor changes were made to the required merit badge list in 1970. In 1972, the Improved Scouting Program increased to 24 the number of merit badges needed to obtain Eagle, while reducing the list of required merit badges to ten, eliminating badges that required swimming and outdoor skills—both of which were later reinstated, and adding the requirement to show leadership during the service project. In 1978, the number of merit badges needed for Eagle was lowered to the original 21, and the number of required merit badges was set at 11. In 2014 the number of Eagle-required merit badges was increased to 13 with the re-addition of Cooking; in 2022, it was increased to 14 with the addition of Citizenship in Society.
Scouts must earn the following 11 merit badges as there are no alternates: Camping, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in Society, Citizenship in the World, Communication, Cooking, First Aid, Family Life, Personal Fitness, and Personal Management. In addition, Scouts must choose one each from the following to round out their required merit badges: Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving; Environmental Science OR Sustainability; and, Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling. The Scout must earn seven additional elective merit badges beyond the required 14 to become eligible for the award. If a Scout has earned more than one merit badges where there are alternates, the extras will be counted toward the 21 merit badge requirement total.
Palms
Palms represent additional advancement for a youth who has stayed active in the unit after achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. A Palm is awarded when the Scout has demonstrated Scout Spirit, leadership and ability; has earned five additional merit badges beyond those required for Eagle or for the last Palm; and has taken part in a conference with their unit leader.The insignia is a small metallic palm frond pin or device that is worn on the ribbon of the Eagle Scout medal, on the Eagle Scout square knot or on the Eagle Scout badge.
The Palms are awarded in three colors: bronze, representing five merit badges; gold, representing ten merit badges; and silver, representing fifteen merit badges. For each Palm awarded for five additional merit badges beyond the first bronze, gold, and silver recognitions, Palms are worn in the combination that requires the smallest number of devices to reflect the total number of Palms earned. One gold Palm is equal to two bronze Palms, one silver Palm is equal to three bronze Palms, and one bronze Palm continues to be equal to five merit badges. For instance, a Scout who has earned eight Palms would wear two silver Palms and a gold Palm. The order of bronze, gold and silver follows heraldic traditions of the U.S. military.
Completed Palms can be awarded at the same time the Eagle Scout badge is presented. Previously, an Eagle Scout needed to wait three months between each Palm, even if the extra merit badges were earned before becoming an Eagle. This meant that, under the old rules, a youth who became an Eagle Scout at 17 years and 10 months was unable to earn a single Eagle Palm.