Enjoy the Road Traveled

[Beaz]

I joined this site to better understand the process of attending one of the Service Schools. My oldest son hopes to do just that. I realize there are blocks that one must check off to get to that point. This week my oldest son checked off one of those blocks. He earned his Eagle Scout.

Bottom line and to the point... there were times that he and I were at each-others throat, but in the end, it was all worth it. I hope his dream comes true and attends one of the Service Schools...but the journey to Eagle Scout was worth every second of hard work.

The road to one of these schools is hard, don't get lost in the big picture, but enjoy the trip.

Regards

 

[educ8]

Congratulations to your son for his earning the rank of Eagle Scout. That is an impressive accomplishment in and of itself. I assume that he earned it for its intrinsic value and because he enjoys scouting and not so that he could "check off a block" on his way to a service academy.

Regardless of whether or not he gains acceptance to a Service Academy, your son is among an elite few who had the perseverance, leadership skills, and parental support to attain such an honor. I also assume that he wants to be a career military officer, and understands that attending a SA is just a means to an end.

One of my sons is an Eagle Scout and another is soon to earn the rank. Your son's accomplishment is something that a parent can be proud of and believe me, I know how much parental "support" that that it takes (as you said, "there were times that he and I were at each-others throat"). In my experience, my son matured years when he became the Senior Patrol Leader. I could see his priorities change when there were young scouts looking to him for guidance, stability and comfort. When he earned his Eagle, he really identified with the association of all Eagles...that he represented not just himself, but all Eagles and that if he did something stupid, it would reflect negatively on all Eagles and that he was expected to uphold the honor of the rank in everything he did...for the rest of his life, much as becoming an officer in the United States military carries a much more weighty reponsibility.

That is where the value of the rank is...and why it is a valuable accomplishment to an Academy...for the same reason that it is valuable in and of itself...not just checking off a block.

Congratulations to your son, and I wish him luck in pursuit of his dreams.

 

[Beaz]

-Your assumption is correct. Started this journey long before he had interest in the Service Schools.

-One of the points I was hoping to make was not to get blinded by what may or not be the end result, but enjoy the journey.

-I told my son that this is one thing he can put on his resume that in fifty years will still be worth something.

-Thank you for your kind words.