Anthony Trimarco
Of the Highest Caliber
On my honor I will do my best, to do my duty; to God and my country; to help other people at all times, and to obey the Scout Law. I will keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
The Boy Scouts of America are over 90 years oldósome argue their need in society has come and gone. I am a product of the scout upbringing. Even though the Boy Scouts have become part of my life, I sometimes question their worth in this new century.
In the first grade, nothing excited me more than to don the blue and gold handkerchief, and the crisp deep blue collared shirtóthe only one I tolerated to this day. Like a warm blanket I was comforted in the program from day one. The organization made my parents work on my requirements with me. I had to bake things with my mom, and build a pine wood derby car with my dad. ìYes Anthony, we will make it look like my Corvette, and weíll paint it red.î Some of my best memories of my childhood are with my parents in Scouts. The red pinewood derby car I made with my Dad was slow and finished in 6th place, but it had decals on it, and was like his Corvette.
Some skeptics in the media question the relevance of Boy Scouts. True, Scouts does focus on outdoors activities, something that my suburban life didnít allow me to do very often. They require participation by every boyís parentsónot to say mine were Mike and Carol Brady, but when something needed to be done they were there. From driving to meetings at school or taking off a weekend to go camping-- Boy Scouts does require a commitment; but it is hardly a YMCA or a Boys Club where sons can be pawned off for an afternoon.
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Boy Scouts is an integral part of healthy development of any boy. The universal appeal of this loosely knit organization is its very tight code of conduct. Societyís misconception is that the higher a boy in position, the more the motto and creed come into play. Everybody can pick out one scout who didnít live up to the morals set in our handbook. I always focused on the bad apples in Scouts within my Troop, but now that I am outÖ in retrospect, it proved that the Boy Scouts were a cross cut of society today. Nothing is perfect, and it never will be, much like the real workplace, deadlines will not be met, and people will not always get along, and Scouts taught us that. We learned as fourteen year-olds, in charge of forty or more of our peers. We always had problems, but it gave us a good idea of how things actually worked.
For three years of my teenage life I attended summer camp in Northern Michigan. It became my proving ground. Not only did we have to live in the woods for weeks at a time, but also we had to earn merit badges on top of that. Between cooking grilled cheese and learning to tie forty knots, it became the highlight of my summer. The culmination of these adventures always came on a raft camping out in the middle of the lakes, known as the Huck Finn Raft Excursion. Countless boys have spent their nights on rafts or tree houses like these; it would bring a tear to their eyes. These experiences crafted my memories of the wildernessóand I miss them so.
Contrary to popular belief Boy Scouts is not a cult or a military organization. Although I have repelled at a military base with the scouts, and ridden in a HUMVEE while in uniform; heck, even led chants around the campfire; nothing in The Boys Scouts of America relates to cults or similar groups. Other students who are not in the organization donít understand, we did not kill squirrels or blow up our houses, and we werenít all dorks. Many of us played on sports teams, and had other things to do besides camping and going to meetings. We donít walk around in purple and black capes, complete with bright white Nikeís, drinking the ìmagicî Kool-aid. People who donít know or remember donít understandóI have come to understand this.
The advancement goals in Scouting gave us something attainable to work toward. We were given leadership positionsóimagine instructing a group of dumbfounded adults on how to raft class five whitewater rapids, or being more qualified in shooting than most people in the Armed Forces. Nothing comes easy in Scouts we worked for it. By the time any average Scout graduates high school, he has already been an assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, troop guide, historian, quartermaster, chaplain, assistant senior patrol leader; and the coup de gras, Senior Patrol Leader. We were chosen by adults to run the organization. The main difference from sports teams is we would spend a great deal of time on the phone, typing schedules, and organizing outdoor skill sessions. Scouts arenít just for the kids who couldnít find their niche in school. The truth is most kids in Boy Scouts are overachievers.
The Boy Scouts makes leadersóplain and simple. Anyone who wants something more out of their week than just school; but like the draft Scouts also took in people who didnít want to be there. Fortunately they were weeded out quickly. We are stereotyped to take in only misfits; they are not the only ones in Scouts, though we take them too. Presidents and founders of corporations, such as McDonalds, and Microsoft were all Scouts. Iíd say Bill Gates Eagle Scout, was practicing the scouting mottoóbe prepared.
Eagle Scouts have always been perceived as goodie goodies, and overachievers. Being one myself, I hope not. Millions of boys have joined since its founding, and only 1.9% of which have attained the rank of Eagle Scout. At my Ceremony, I was presented a hand written letter by the current President of America, Bill Clinton. I am sure he was writing from a template, but I am so proud that I could earn something that would warrant such a prestigious reward. When I tell people I earned the Eagle Scout Award, no one seems to appreciate the sacrifices I have made. I undertook a service project to rebuild an old utility shed in the woods that totaled over 300 man-hours. I was not allowed to include my own effort in the total completion time. I earned forty-nine merit badges, completed over 3 years of leadership positions, and am lifeguard, CPR, and woodsman certifiedóevery other Eagle Scout has a comparable record. Ironically the only respect I seem to receive from people are from the young scouts I meet, who sell popcorn at my door.
Derek Muzyn, Steven Stashwick, Ryan Steffy, Adam Bruskin, David Caruso, Aaron War, Dan Kozan, Levi Bakerówere not only my mentors, but friends to this day who became Eagle Scouts as well. The best way I can describe the bond between Scouts was that we were a fraternity for teenagers. Anyone in the troop respected me, and treated me with respect. We felt like an elite group, like the Green Berets. I have had hot chocolate in an igloo with them, gone spelunking (cave exploring), and with others climbed 17,000 foot mountains. We had done more things than Sylvester Stallone had done on Cliffhanger. I shot a 12 gauge shot gun at clay pigeons, and snorkeled with the best of them. Hey, we even walked old ladies across the street.
I have learned The Boy Scouts of America is a true cross section of society. We are made up all races and ages, and through outdoor activities we unite as one group. There is a fierce determination and a solemn pride that few organizations can have. Those who are embarrassed about being Scouts have not had the full experience, which I was lucky enough to complete. Being an Eagle Scout doesnít earn any extra money on a paycheck, or a spot as an astronaut, but we are part of an elite unit who takes pride in saying, ìwe were not Eagle Scouts, we are Eagle Scouts.î
I wouldnít trade my Scouting career for anything. Society hasnít given us our due credit; we have done what they wish their children could. Here I sit; I would gladly do it all over again to be a first grader-- naÔve, not understanding how lucky I am, to look forward to a lifetime of scouting memories ahead of me.