It got me thinking....
On our way back from Sea Base we had a young man sit with us on the plane. He was a second year student from OU that was traveling back to norman for the weekend from his home in Houston. We had our uniforms on and since it was a SWA flight he had specifically chosen to sit by us. Why? Turns out he was an Eagle Scout.
He told us over the next hour how he had never really got the value of Scouting until just that summer. He had applied for a summer internship with a Houston company that based upon his grades and work experience he really did not qualify for. To his suprise he was selected. Why? You guessed it! They told him that after seeing Eagle Scout on the application they had moved him to the top of the "pile" and did not consider any other candidate. What an awesome story.
He wanted us to hear this as a word of encouragement that what we do in Scouting does make a difference even if at times the Scouts don't realize it. Throughout that trip we had random people come up to us at the airport to share similiar stories.
There are so many distractions in the busy world of our youth and being a volunteer is a thankless job for sure. So...thank you for all you do and are doing. You make a difference.
What stories have you heard from strangers when traveling with the uniform? What about from former Scouts?
Great stories to share this time of year as people consider joining Scouts and others consider quitting due to busy fall schedules.
I am an Eagle Scout myself. In addition to "walking the walk, talking the talk" when I was a Boy Scout, I also plan on staying active in Scouting while in college (time allowing of course). One specific example I have seen that follows the same guidlines as the above story happened when I talked to an Army recruiter looking at ROTC options in college. This Seargent was asking about my highschool experiences and I mentioned that I was in the Boy Scouts. Immediately, he asked if I "made Eagle". Well my first thought was that he had it wrong, Eagle made me. Secondly I thought, "Gee, maybe that means I don't have to take some remedial class. Boy was I wrong! I told him I received my Eagle a few months ago. His face lit up and he said, ok well congratulation, if you join the military, you already will advance two ranks and your pay will increase! I asked him why and he said those in Scouting that carry it through to completion and attain Eagle Scout are recognized my the military as people who are capable of leading and showing initiative. Those people are the one the military looks for to lead. Needless to say I was pleased that this opportunity opened up. We'll see how it goes!
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