Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Overcoming Our Disabilities
Doug Benson Eagle Court Of Honor
August 27, 2000
George Denise, Scoutmaster

Last week, I had the honor of speaking at Scott Crisel's Eagle Court of Honor. If you were present, you heard me speak about what it means to achieve Eagle Scout. What hurdles must be overcome. I will summarize for those who could not be present.

In this country, one in four boys will become a Scout. Of these, one-third will drop out their first year. Of those remaining, one-third will drop out each year thereafter. Fewer than one in ten will still be registered as a Scout when he reaches the age of eighteen. Only slightly more than one in 100 will achieve the rank of Eagle.

Yet while one in four boys in this country, just 25%, were Scouts, former Scouts make up 85% of airline pilots, 85% of the FBI, 75% of military academy graduates, 72% of Rhodes Scholars, 70% of those who appear in Who's Who, and 65% of US Congressman.

In the general population, 83% graduate from high school. Of those who were Scouts, 98% graduate from high school. In the general population, 16% graduate from college. Of those who were Eagle Scouts, 40% graduate from college. In the general population, 17% of households have combined incomes of $50,000 or greater (this was in 1996). Of households headed by Eagle Scouts, 33% have a combined income of $50,000 or greater.

Of the 12 men who have stood on the surface of the moon, eleven were Scouts, and four were Eagle Scouts.

Becoming an Eagle Scout is a significant achievement in any boy's life. That is why we acknowledge that achievement with the Eagle Court of Honor.

To become an Eagle, a Scout must complete seven ranks. Each rank requires many hours of preparation and study, developing skills in camping, use of woods tools, fire building, meal planning and preparation, first aid, CPR, use of knots and lashings, personal fitness, map and compass, wilderness survival, citizenship, and leadership. It requires twenty-one merit badges with more advanced study in camping, citizenship, emergency preparedness, environmental science, personal fitness, personal management, sports, advanced first aid, orienteering, and so much more! After all of that, the Eagle candidate must plan, lead, and carry out with the help of others, a project "of significant benefit to the community." The average Eagle Scout project takes over 100 hours to complete. Then the candidate must write the entire project up to exacting specifications and be reviewed by a board of from five to ten adults for up to and hour or longer.

This is a daunting task for any teen-age boy. Is it any wonder that many Scouts in later years value their achievement of Eagle more than their college degree?

Now, meet all of those requirements with heavy-duty gloves on, five-pound weights tied to your arms, and glued to a chair. That will give you some idea of what Doug had to contend with while accomplishing this achievement.

Doug has a handicap. Note: it is a handicap, not a disability. It slows him down. It doesn't stop him.

In the Boy Scout publication, Scouting for the Physically Handicapped, there is a quote from the White House Conference on Child Health and Protection:

The handicapped child has a right to grow up in a world which does not set him apart, which looks at him not with scorn or pity or ridicule but which welcomes him, exactly as it welcomes every child, which offers him identical privileges and identical responsibilities.

We tried to welcome Doug to our troop in that way, with identical privileges and with identical responsibilities. There were a few things his physical limitations kept him from doing. So it is with most of the Scouts. Where these obstacles were met, we substituted alternative requirements, as we do with many of the Scouts. But for the most part, Doug met the same requirements everyone else did. One of the required merit badges for Eagle is Camping. One of the requirements is to camp out 20 days and nights under the stars, or in a tent you helped to pitch. Doug could have substituted another badge for this requirement. But he didn't. He doesn't even like camping that much. (Loyal son of his mother that he is, both of them have expressed the opinion that their idea of a good outing is several days and nights on a cruise ship!) But he did it. That's Doug.

Scouting has something to offer all boys, handicapped and non-handicapped alike (though I'm not sure there is such a thing as a teen-age boy who is not handicapped in some way. Some handicaps are simply more obvious!)

The handicapped boy also has something to offer back to Scouting. When we played Crows and Cranes, Doug got to be the caller. When we played Steal-the-Bacon, typically several boys vied to see who would push Doug. When we went to the beach and were loaned a dune buggy version of a wheel chair for Doug, the boys in the troop wanted to build one for him. It was only the limitations of leadership that kept that from happening, not the enthusiasm of the boys. When Doug would leave his chair to sit on the beach, the boys took turns riding in his chair. It was cool! Close to 20 Scouts from our troop took handicap awareness classes and volunteered to work with handicapped youth because of the influence of their friend and fellow Scout, Doug.

Doug, you have made a difference in our lives, and we are all the better for it, just as I'm sure we have made a difference in yours. I would like to read the following poem in your honor:

Your presence is a present to the world.
You're unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be.
Take the days just one at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles.
You'll make it through whatever comes along.
Within you are so many answers.
Understand, have courage, be strong.

Don't put limits on yourself.
So many dreams are waiting to be realized.
Decisions are too important to leave to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.
The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets.
Don't take things too seriously.
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember that a lot... goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment.
Life's treasures are people... together.

Realize that it's never too late.
Do ordinary things in extraordinary ways (you do).
Have health and hope and happiness.
Take the time to wish upon a star.

And don't forget...
For even a day...
How very special you are.

Congratulations, Eagle Scout Doug Benson!