Don’t Forget the Scout Rank!
Speaking of horror stories (see Merit Badge Know How below), here’s another caution for parents. I heard about this from the same friend who works with the BSA to process Eagle Scout Award applications for our stake.
Just as lack of documentation can cause problems when a boy goes to apply for his Eagle Scout Award, another problem is when boys earn all their ranks but forgot about the so-called “joining rank” or rank of Scout. This MUST be the first rank earned. Boys who end up doing the work for Tenderfoot ranks and up without earning the Scout rank first have not earned those ranks as far as the BSA is concerned, even if that boy was given his awards in a Court of Honor, etc.
This error is not usually caught until the BSA Council is reviewing the records for a boy applying for his Eagle Scout Award. Guess what?
He doesn’t get it.
Ideally, leaders should be well informed to prevent this kind of problem. However, there is no better advocate for a scout than his parent. Parents, be aware of these things and stay on top of what’s going on.
If you want to avoid other potential Eagle Scout Award nightmares, see my post Merit Badge Know How.
If you want details on earning the Scout rank, click here.
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