First Merit Badge

[CalicoPenn]

My first was Dog Care. My second was Stamp Collecting. My third was Swimming.

 

My favorite was Landscape Architecture - both fun and challenging. There was only one counselor for the badge in the entire Council because so very few Scouts tried to earn it. The MBC had been counseling the badge since it's creation in 1967 and I was only the 5th Scout ever(and this was in 1975) to call him so he was very excited and that showed in his enthusiasm. (According to him, there were 4 counselors at first but only 11 people had earned the badge by 1972). The Council had to special order the Merit Badge Book for me since they didn't keep any in stock, then had to special order the merit badge for me when I completed it. I think that's part of why it's my favorite - I was the only Scout in my council to have the merit badge for a time - and I think it's one of the best looking merit badges - so a lot of people asked about it - even some grizzled old-timers who thought they knew all of the merit badges.

[John-in-KC]

I'll look at my youth member sash. I know what my sons' was: Citizenship in the Nation. It's the first one on his sash.

[WAKWIB]

My first year at camp was the first time I took and earned merit badges.

I came home with Swimming, Conservation of Natural Resources, Basketry, and Metalwork. My mom kept the basket and metal ashtray for many years.

My most memorable was Rowing during my 4th year at camp. The boating classes were held on the Osage River which could move at a pretty good clip at times. The rowing skills of neither me or my buddy could overcome the current and we went sideways down the river for quite a way before being rescued by a staff-man with a motorboat.

[John-in-KC]

Drafting ... Mr Schwing my drafting teacher was my Counselor

Metalwork ... Mr Dunlap my homeroom teacher and metal shop instructor was my Counselor

First Aid ... I remember it being a dentist; I think he was on Sherman Way in Reseda.

[desertrat77]

First earned: Firemanship

 

Favorite: Hiking

 

Started but didn't earn: Archery, Law, Golf, Public Health

 

Toughest: tie between Rifle/Shotgun Shooting, and Small Boat Sailing...honorable mention to First Aid, taught by an Air Force medic who served on our troop committee...fantastic instructor, tough but fair, he made sure we knew our stuff...usually took a scout several weeks to earn that merit badge, but was I ever proud of it (and still am)

 

Wished I would have earned: any/all of the old rural/farming mbs(This message has been edited by desertrat77)

[RememberSchiff]

First: Firemanship with Mr. Wood

 

Favorite: Lifesaving with Red Cross

 

[eagle90]

My first was First Aid. I think you needed it for First Class at that time.

 

My favorite was probably camping or cooking.

[IM_Kathy]

obviously I wasn't in BSA so no answer from me...

 

my son's first was leatherwork

 

his favorite would vary depending on who is asking and what he wanted to base his opinion on...

 

this past summer camp it was Enviromental Science because the MBC was cute

 

before that it was Astronomy 1) because he liked being able to stay up late and 2) he really did enjoy learning about it all

 

the one that was the most fun and has the funniest story would be golf... let's just say he's lucky driving a golf cart safely wasn't part of the MB considering he flipped it and ended up pinning his dad under it. Luckily he'd already had first aid and emergency perparedness and handled the situation well... unfortunately he hadn't had a weight-lifting MB of some sort and couldn't lift it enough to get his dad out. Thankfully the only injury my husband had was 2nd degree chemical burns from the gasoline that leaked on him, but he said our son did a great job of trying to help lift it and then getting help and taking care of him after he got out.

[BrentAllen]

First was Coin Collecting. Favorites were Wilderness Survival and Archery. I took Archery at Summer Camp, and at the closing ceremonines, the counselor called me out (complete surprise) and presented me with an arrow with the following written on the shaft:

Highest Qualification Score 208 pts. Camp Jamison

 

I was on Cloud 9 for the rest of the summer after that.

[AJR2305GDC]

First: Photography

 

First Summer Camp: Astronomy, First Aid

 

Favorite: Pioneering

[JMHawkins]

First Aid was my first. Hard to say what was my favorite (been a while!). I know that Citizenship in the Nation was my favorite graphic design.

[RipVanScouter]

First Aid - we practically made it a first merit badge requirement in my troop - because we took the local first-aid-o-ree VERY seriously (one of the few things where my small troop excelled). We had an EMT and a longtime Red Cross reg. "first-aider" as MBC's.

 

Favorite - had to be lifesaving, and only one (I earned) that required real physical challenge (self-rescue in about 50 degree water - at least it felt that way). I can still remember it 34 years later.

[GKlose]

First: Reading (my mom was in training to be a librarian, so she set me up with a counselor at the local library).

 

Favorite: Atomic Energy. One of my troopmates asked me if I wanted to work on it with him, and our SM found us a counselor -- a scientist at a local air force base research lab. He was very patient with us, and taught us a lot over the course of several weeks. We visited his lab, and he had the two of us do separate projects. I think my friend did a reactor model, while I built a geiger counter (which was really cool), using parts that this guy supplied us. I also sent away to the Atomic Energy Commission, and they sent to me a whole pile of interesting pamphlets, relating to various aspects of the atomic age (history, careers, application in medicine, etc).

 

It didn't really influence my career choice much (I studied electrical engineering), but I still remember bunches of stuff he taught us, and it made a few of my college courses just a little easier.

 

Guy

[clemlaw]

I'll join two other posters to report that my first merit badge was Coin Collecting. When I earned Tenderfoot, the rules had apparently just changed so that I could start earning merit badges right away. Since I was already quite the numismatist, that one was a natural. I felt quite important when I got the counsellor's name (he was from outside our troop) and called him up to make an appointment.

 

I guess my favorite would be Radio. I spent many a Saturday morning working with a former SM of our troop, mostly to earn my Amateur License, and when that was out of the way, I finished off the remaining requirements for the MB.

 

In retrospect, I guess that Lifesaving was probably the most important. I never saved any lives, but for a nerdy non-athletic kid, that one (and swimming before it) was quite a challenge. It was no longer required when I got it (IIRC, Emergency Preparedness was an alternate, which I also earned), but I'm glad I did get it (along with all of the other ones that had been required before I started).

 

Canoeing was also an important one. For a nerdy non-athletic kid, I actually got pretty good at it!

[shortridge]

First: Tie between Swimming and Wilderness Survival. I earned them both my first year at summer camp. Did the first-year camper program in the morning (it was then called Baden-Powell Troop Training, and I recall being told it was part of a new national program) and MBs in the afternoon.

 

Favorite: Wilderness Survival. We made up our survival kits (had to fit in our pants pocket) and hiked out to a remote outpost site on the creek, known as Red Banks, which has a legendary status at the camp. I barely slept that night - mosquitoes kept buzzing in my ears - but loved every second of it. I'd already been interested in survival and emergency preparedness, but this badge got me hooked. I went on to teach it for four years at the same summer camp.

 

Second favorite: Mile Swim. OK, not a merit badge, but close. Neither the strongest nor the fastest swimmer, I was the last person in the pool, but I finished the darn thing, and that was a huge ego boost for an 11-year-old kid.(This message has been edited by shortridge)