Eagle Scout Rank Patch wear after age 18

[prairie]

And yet just a few weeks ago at the first campfire of the year at summer camp I saw a Scouter wear the blue AOL patch over his left pocket.

[prairie]

When I rejoined we had a ASM who still wore his youth shirt, I kinda kidded him bout it and that he might get mistaken for one of the boys. Several months later he showed up wearing an adult shirt and I quietly but warmly welcomed him to the other side of the campfire. I think he was 19 at that time.

[highcountry]

I have 2 ASM's who have an Eagle patch on one of their uniform shirts and I am not going to mention it to them, in fact I had a UP scouter at a camporeee bring it up a year or so ago. I told him that if he had ASM's that were half as good as these two individuals are with helping out and helping provide an excellent program as these 2 men to he would be fortunate. He tried the "it's agaisnt the guidelines" line and I told him to mind his own business running his own troop.

One of these ASM's is in the program for the love of it and the pride he has in making Eagle in the early seventies, he had no boys (Girls and both are through college already) but he jumped at teh chance to get involved again when I asked him. He has been fantastic working with other community groups for the scouts behalf, on community service, helping with meeting program, mentoring scouts, being part of almost evey activity we take on and leading by example. We are lucky to have this man and he is happy to be there, he is not there just while his son is in the troop. He has been so positive that his son in law who is an avid outdoorsman and has no kids, joined the troop and he too is a tremendous leader and asset for the troop. The second scouter was my first Eagle, despite moving down to the Denver Metro and going into college he has styed on and has been a tremendous leader and asset to the troop. He had to get an extension to make Eagle, he decided to try and make it 4 months before his 18th birthday while recovering from an Auto Accident and lamenting on the tragic loss of a friend in his high school who was killed in a tragic school shooting a couple months prior. He is a shining example for my troop regarding what can be done if you set your mind to it and is rightfully proud of earning Eagle, I am not going to ask him to take his Eagle patch off of his uniform shirt and many of the scouts when they see him and this patch are HIGHLY motivated to do more remembering what Eric did to obtain the rank. Sure there are printed guideliens but some things are much more important.

[BadenP]

True the rules are the rules but sometimes we need to use common sense too, in high country's example these adults are motivating the boys to go to the next level. You have to admit that the Eagle badge is much more impressive to see than a tiny knot over a pocket flap.

 

IMHO anyone who receives an eagle should be allowed to wear the patch on an adult uniform, if he chooses to, with an sense of respect for all the BSA has given him as a youth, and what's wrong with that. I only made it to Life Scout myself but I am always glad to see a former scout proud of earning his Eagle talking to others about his experiences, if nothing else it is great PR for the organization.

[TarheelEagle]

1. No, that's what the knot is for. If a younger scout doesn't know what it represents, sit down and explain it to them. Fill them with the desire to earn the rank and then wear the knot when they get older.

 

2. Yes. 1984

[NickP412]

while were on this topic can you all clear something up for me, a lot of people say once you turn 18 you cant even wear your eagle medal, however some people say you can wear it on your suit lapel is this true? or once your 18 can the medal go in the collectors case along with all the other patches and medals a scout has earned?

[BDPT00]

The problem is "a lot of people."

Of course you can wear it, but don't take my word for it. Buy an Insignia Guide.

You may want to have it handy to show to "a lot of people," so that they don't have to take your word for it either.

BDPT00

[Eagle92]

From the online version of the Insignia Guide found here

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Media/InsigniaGuide/06E.aspx

 

Eagle Award, silver medal suspended from scroll, No. 00135; sterling silver, No. 00112; Boy Scout. Adults wear only on formal Eagle occasions.

 

Also check this out

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Media/InsigniaGuide/10F.aspx

 

Note the wearing of awards is allowed in coat and tie.

[Nachamawat]

racingmom: I believe we do not set policy but that we should follow the prescribed guidelines and petition those that establish the guidelines for change. I think that once Webelos cross over they should wear the Arrow of Light square knot above the left pocket because I think it looks better. But I do not set policy I simply try to set a good example for the Scouts to follow. (But then again I am one of the silly ones that does not like those funny little untrainable or potty trained patches some people want to wear.)

 

Bottom line to me is wear the uniform properly or just skip it.

[newman111]

1. sure

2. June, 2009

 

Following a trend of many Eagle Scouts I've known, I earned my eagle rank only days before my 18th birthday. I have never worn my uniform with the patch, but I would love to. Maybe if I had earned it earlier in my scouting career and wore the patch with my friends (my patrol of four boys all earned eagle over the course of two years - I was the last) I would probably take up the knot as a less obtrusive, more reserved, adult symbol of the eagle, but I don't. And I don't regret the way in which I got my eagle either. Sure it was a rush at the end, things might have gone better, but I would not have sacrificed any time I spent outside in the freezing cold trying to start a fire for time sitting alone, planning each step on my way to eagle. I don't think I would have appreciated the journey as much.

 

What I am trying to say is that my troop focuses more on teaching skills and leadership as well as the qualities of a boy scout to its members (as demonstrated by my patrol sweeping my district's Klondike derby in 2007) and less on memorizing the insignia guide and figuring out which patch goes where. For years, I never knew what the knots meant, but am I a worse scout for it?

 

I am an official Eagle Scout, I have the paperwork and will always be proud of what I did, but somehow I will never be allowed to wear the iconic patch signifying a rank held for life. I won't break the rules as they are now, but what is wrong with changing policies.

[newman111]

Consider: The time limit for the Eagle BOR was amended to give scouts a bit more time in case of scheduling conflicts with the adults to be present in the review.

 

A question for those who don't think the regulations on patches should be changed: Do you also believe that anyone who had their BOR after their birthdays are not truly Eagle Scouts?

 

If a rule like that could be changed, I don't see how anyone couldn't accept a change in something as sacred as patches on a uniform.

[Eagle92]

newman,

congrats on the accomplishment. Also join a Venturing crew, that way you can wear that eagle patch until 21. Don't ask me why that's the case, but that's national uniform guidelines for ya.

[FScouter]

Rank patches are for youth members. After age 18 a Boy Scout is no longer a youth. A Venturer is.

[MrsG]

I'm sorry. There were six pages of comments, and I might have missed this as I skipped a few....

My son's birthday is in December. His Board of Review wasn't until the following February. Because he was waiting for a couple of other guys in his troop to finish their Eagles (one turns 18 next month, and is still iffy), he hasn't had his Eagle COH. He wanted to have it with these two friends.

Is it OK for him to wear his youth uniform to his Eagle COH, even though he'll probably be 19 by then?

Some of you might take issue with his waiting so long for his COH, but I'm not going to challenge his desire to celebrate the achievement with two of his closest friends in the troop.

The question here is whether it's appropriate for him to wear his youth uniform for the COH when he's long past age 18.

Thanks.

[Eagle92]

MrsG.

Welcome to the forums. Officiallly your son should NOT wear the patch at all since he is no longer a youth. He needs the knot instead.

 

However I don't think anyone would complain, even a UP like myself, about a young man wearing his patch at he ECOH.

 

Also remember that some troops do have traditions. For example, in my old troop you didn't get the eagle patch or anything else in the kit until the ECOH. So you would be handed the patch, and the medal pinned on. So talk to your SM.

 

Now in ref. to wearing the patch onthe uniform and ECOHs. A very good freind of mine got his Eagle just before 18, but enlisted in the USAF before the ECOH. 4 years later he shows up asks if it would be possible to have his ECOH, and so our prodigal Eagle had his ECOH at the ripe old age of 22. And he still had his old uniform with the Life patch on forthe ECOH, althought he uniform was a little big on him.