Did you do Boy or Girl Scouts before joining the military? What influence, if any, did Scouting have on your decision to join?

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:33:53 -0400

How many of you were part of the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts before joining the military? What influence, if any, did Scouting have on your decision to enlist? Did Scouting help prepare you in any way for entry into the military?

Response by CW5 Jim Steddum made Apr 7 at 2015 7:58 AM

CW5 Jim Steddum — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 07:58:35 -0400

Eagle Scout, class of 1987. The experience of scouting absolutely helped me with basic Soldiering skills, such as land navigation and basic people skills.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2015 8:13 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 08:13:27 -0400

I was a Boy Scout, never made Eagle Scout, girls and beer seemed a better priority at the time. The Boy Scouts didn't have any bearing on me enlisting but some of the skills I learned made transitioning a little easier. The field craft that you learn in the Scouts definitely translated well into the Infantry, it also introduced you to wearing a uniform and abiding by the rules for wearing the uniform.

Response by LTC Stephen C. made Apr 7 at 2015 8:22 AM

LTC Stephen C. — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 08:22:02 -0400

CH (MAJ) William Beaver, I was in the Boy Scouts. I made Star, had enough merit badges for Life, but put it down when my family relocated from Birmingham, AL to Jacksonville, FL. I had an overall good experience in Scouting and all of the Scoutmasters were good men.
Not finishing is still one of my greatest regrets. The life lesson that I took away from my experience in Scouting was to finish what you start, and I tried to instill the same in my children.

Response by SSG Rob Cline made Apr 7 at 2015 8:25 AM

SSG Rob Cline — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 08:25:49 -0400

I was everything but Eagle. Weeblo (I think that's right), Cub, and Boy Scout. Like both CW5 Jim Steddum and CSM Private RallyPoint Member stated, the scouts help make transitioning into the military life easier with having already passed the fundamentals of wear and appearance of the uniform and basic survival skills.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2015 9:31 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 09:31:28 -0400

As for me, I got kicked out of Cub Scouts for fighting. Since I was fighting with the Den Mother's son, I was the one who punished. Worse yet, the fight wasnt even at Scouts. But I digress....

Both of my sons are Eagle Scouts and both are currently serving.

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Apr 7 at 2015 10:37 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 10:37:42 -0400

Worked for me.

Response by LTC John Shaw made Apr 7 at 2015 12:08 PM

LTC John Shaw — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 12:08:42 -0400

Huge impact, I have no immediate family in the military but Scouting made the military feel like home.

Response by SPC Angel Guma made Apr 7 at 2015 12:27 PM

SPC Angel Guma — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 12:27:16 -0400

Oh definitely. And the Boy Scouts did help in a lot of areas. I grew up a city kid just outside chicago. Boy Scouts helped in giving me some familiarity with the outdoors and open terrain. Learning things like terrain association helped. Desert, swamp, and jungle environments were all new to me as a soldier but the bugs and humidity were an easy adjustment. Thanks to the Boy Scouts.

Sometimes I've seen soldiers who had childhoods in densely packed cities sometimes had a bit of a psychological adjustment into living in the desert or jungle. The daily reality of sand, giant bugs at night, snakes, spooked some guys and they couldn't sleep well while being on edge for fear of a snake or gigantic spider running around. I remember one soldier had a memorable adjustment with this, first encountering a dead cobra on the side of a dirt road in broad daylight (an Afghan had killed it with a machete and was proudly showing the snake's head to other Afghans and soldiers), then, a few days later, had spotted a camel spider walking along the road. But instead of keeping a respectful distance, she started following the spider and it turned around and chased her, she jumped about 20 ft and dashed away screaming. Boy Scouts are good for getting little things like this out of the way.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made Apr 7 at 2015 12:48 PM

1SG Michael Blount — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 12:48:55 -0400

Eagle Scout here. 1973 (yah, I just gave away my age) And, yes, it probably did have an indirect effect on my decision to enlist. Certainly helped during the OSUT bivouac exercises

Response by MSgt James Mullis made Apr 8 at 2015 8:57 AM

MSgt James Mullis — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 08:57:45 -0400

I was a Law Enforcement Explorer Scout at Keesler AFB for four years. It taught me a lot about the Air Force that I would use when I enlisted. I also learned that I did not want a career as a police officer, no matter how much fun it was for a kid.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2015 9:09 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 09:09:32 -0400

I am an Eagle Scout. I took the part of the Eagle Scout Oath about giving more to scouting than it gave me with me to the Army.

Response by SFC David Pope, MBA made Apr 12 at 2015 2:50 PM

SFC David Pope, MBA — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 14:50:48 -0400

I am an Eagle Scout. Scouting had a huge impact in my military career. When I got to my first unit as an E-2 the platoon shy asked me to teach the platoon on first aid. They were surprised when I had no worries about teaching. Now I'm retired from the army, I use that experience to train scouts and scout leaders. I have been a active scout leader for the last 11 years and I love it.

Response by MSG Tim Donahue, M.Ed. made Apr 15 at 2015 1:13 PM

MSG Tim Donahue, M.Ed. — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 13:13:38 -0400

Some time as a scout (1st class) before the military - but after retiring - den leader, cubmaster, and scoutmaster. I have seen seven of my scouts pin on Eagle with 5 more life scouts getting ready.

Response by LTJG Frederick Birchmore made Apr 15 at 2015 1:45 PM

LTJG Frederick Birchmore — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 13:45:39 -0400

Made Star, then slacked off when became Senior Patrol Leader. Our leaders were all WWII vets. Our Camporee crowd of troops did a Ranger Camp at Rainy Mountain in North Georgia. Led by hardass DIs borrowed from the HS and University. We rappelled down 200' cliffs, did the Death Slide from a huge tree into a lake, killed and ate snakes, drank muddy Halazone water, shot rifles, divided into two armies, slept in the woods with only a poncho, and had a very confused all-night battle on the mountainside, with water pistols and water balloons and bags of flour as grenades, and lots of hand-to-hand bloody ambushes, including booby traps. Meanwhile the leaders threw concussion grenades into the lake to simulate incoming. (Environmental permits were not a factor in the 1950s.) Hell of a time. We all returned home with cuts, bruises and bites. After that, all ROTC and basic training was a joke.

Response by Sgt Anthony Prince made Apr 15 at 2015 1:50 PM

Sgt Anthony Prince — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 13:50:12 -0400

I had been in the Boy Scouts (and Varsity/Explorers) from 12 to 18. I became and Eagle Scout at 14, and had since done many things with my life.
Growing up, none of my brothers or sisters did anything of significance, not even finishing high school, which I had done at 17, then at 19 I enlisted in the Marine Corps for five years, and am now working on a Bachelor's degree.
The Boy Scouts had laid a foundation of ethics, initiative, and personal accountability, but it wasn't until the Marine Corps that I was able to fine-tune those qualities and add those which I had picked up through various experiences.
I still look back on my Boy Scout days as some of the fondest memories, and still reminisce with those in my old troops.
Personally, I am glad I had the opportunities to achieve what I had done, but it had all started with the BSA, and the foundation it had created to help me later in life.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 2:12 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 14:12:51 -0400

Eagle Scout. Uniform wear/standards, basic compass/map use, initial marksman skills (rifle/bow), basic chain of command structure ('ranks' with related jobs in the troop and the 'generals' *troop leaders* at the top), prep corp (Cub Scouts vs ROTC), boot camp (summer scout camp), medals/awards, etc. It didn't really play any factor in my decision to enlist, but it did help make it seem a more natural transition.

Response by MAJ Robert Wilson made Apr 15 at 2015 2:26 PM

MAJ Robert Wilson — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 14:26:29 -0400

Eagle Scout, Bangkok, Thailand, 1971. Got me ready to do anything in life.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 2:53 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 14:53:19 -0400

I was a Girl Scout. Something about being able to wear a uniform and boss people around......

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 3:08 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 15:08:12 -0400

Eagle Scout, some of my best scoutmasters were Vietnam vets, I for sure would not have joined without their influence.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 3:35 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 15:35:44 -0400

I was a Boy Scout as a kid when i was around 12. It had ZERO impact on my decision to join. I actually did not enjoy the time in the scouts. I thought they were a bunch of pansy goody goodies. I punched a kid in the face for pushing me and was asked to never return.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Apr 15 at 2015 4:11 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 16:11:52 -0400

I was a Cub and a Boy Scout, then a Sea Scout. The Sea Scout experience might have helped had the Navy not taken their time in processing my application and I ended up in the Army.

To be honest, Scouting taught me some skills that helped, but most of my outdoor experience came on my own. My friends and I camped out a lot more on our own than we did with the Scouts. However, that being said, Scouting didn't hurt and I think that Lord Baden Powell's original concept of preparing young men for the rigors of army life through scouting was a good one. Sadly, I don't see Scouting doing the same today. It dropped a lot of the paramilitary aspects during the 1960s when enrollment dropped precipitously and they wanted to appeal to the new generation of youth that weren't interested in that sort of thing.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 4:38 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 16:38:23 -0400

I didn't enlist because of my experience with Boy Scouts, but it proved extremely useful. Field craft, survival, and first aid. I first learned to hike throughout the mountains of Southern California and sleep outside even in the worst of weather. Our ScoutMaster was a real old timer and never let us cancel an outing due to bad weather. I can also still remember trying to teach the other basic trainees at Ft Benning how to tie the Bowline, that skill has been helpful in many aspect of life not just the military.

Response by CH (MAJ) William Beaver made Apr 15 at 2015 5:25 PM

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 17:25:15 -0400

Thanks to whomever added the photo

Response by SPC Daniel Bowen made Apr 15 at 2015 6:36 PM

SPC Daniel Bowen — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 18:36:17 -0400

Joined the scouting from Tiger Cubs all the way to Life Scout. It didn't necessarily point me towards the military, but the idea of teamwork, leadership skills, land navigation and wilderness survival all helped me as a grunt. Heck, most of the survival training in a boy scout manual comes right of the Ranger manual.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 7:36 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:36:59 -0400

I was in Scouting as a youth for 8 years (not an Eagle Scout) and now an adult leader for my boys, 22+ years.
Yes, Scouting help me prepare for the military but it was my high school social studies teacher a Marine reservist was the biggest influence and mentor in joining the Marines.
My oldest son is an Eagle Scout and a Sergeant in the Army Reserve.

Response by SMSgt Paul Ringheiser made Apr 15 at 2015 8:33 PM

SMSgt Paul Ringheiser — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:33:24 -0400

Not a scout, but a Civil Air Patrol cadet and Military Academy cadet. Sure helped!

Response by SSG Louis Marucci made Apr 15 at 2015 8:56 PM

SSG Louis Marucci — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:56:28 -0400

Yup, was run by NCOS from Air Force base in our town. It was very well run.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2015 12:33 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 00:33:39 -0400

I was a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout. I also made Eagle Scout. I've marveled at how easy basic was for me even as out of shape as I was.

Response by 1SG Jeremy Evans made Apr 16 at 2015 2:23 AM

1SG Jeremy Evans — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 02:23:32 -0400

I think my path to Eagle Scout absolutely had a direct impact on preparing me for the Army. Aside from the obvious field craft, land nav, and first aid, there were a lot of leadership and goal setting aspects of scouting I benefited from. Much like when we counsel our Soldiers on what it takes to progress in their careers, scouting defined goals and what it would take to achieve those goals.

Response by AN Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2015 8:50 AM

AN Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 08:50:58 -0400

Girl scouts was honestly a waste of time and didn't affect my decision at all. Boy scouts though, they got to do all the good stuff!

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2015 10:59 AM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 10:59:49 -0400

I earned my Eagle Scout award in 1993. Without a doubt there are many things that I learned from scouting that I have carried forward with me to this day. Scouting promotes values, service, and responsibility for all who participate. As you can imagine those traits will serve any military member well. As far as preparing you for entry into the military, some basic soldiering skills (e.g. land nav) were much easier for me than for others without that background.

Response by CPO Jason Meier made Apr 16 at 2015 1:03 PM

CPO Jason Meier — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 13:03:49 -0400

I was involved with Boy Scouts but it did not have an influence on my decision to join the military. However, it did help prepare my mind set. It also helped broaden the way I thought and helped my problem solving skills.

Response by SGT John Wesley made Apr 18 at 2015 12:14 PM

SGT John Wesley — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 12:14:35 -0400

Cub Scout, Royal Ranger and JROTC. Yea, I'd say they helped! Specifically the ROTC as my Sgt was Ex-Drill and was not a softy!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2015 12:45 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 12:45:59 -0400

I was a cub scout never a boy scout but it was my my first experience with wearing a uniform and being part of a team. I think that had an early influence. Instead of boy scouts I did Naval Sea Cadets and Army JROTC. In all of them I looked forward to putting on the uniform!

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2015 3:55 PM

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 15:55:44 -0400

I was a Girl Scout and a Venture Scout. Girl Scouting didn't influence my decision to enlist at all. It mostly consisted of arts and crafts and 'camping' in log cabins.

On the other hand, Venturing did have a hand in it. The COL in my JROTC class was a troop leader, and we all joined so that our JROTC program could use Boy Scout facilities.

It led to a lot more time spent with one another outside of class hours, and that time really made me think about joining the military or not. I think a lot of us started thinking about it due to Venturing.

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 19 at 2015 4:48 PM

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 16:48:11 -0400

I got my Eagle in 2010, But I didn't enlist until 2013. it certainly made basic easier maybe even fun, but as for making me want to join the service? No, to me that's not the objective of scouting.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made May 1 at 2015 6:05 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 01 May 2015 18:05:53 -0400

Eagle Scout class of 1973. No effect on my decision, but I had skills that translated directly into being an Infantryman. I was an excellent shot, knew something about Drill and Ceremonies, Leadership, Land Navigation, Duty, Loyalty, First Aid ... well, I'm sure I could go on for a page or two.

Great preparation for life in general, not just the military.

Response by SSG Earl Corp made Feb 5 at 2016 11:27 AM

SSG Earl Corp — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 11:27:31 -0500

Eagle Scouty 1976

Response by MAJ Robert Wilson made Feb 11 at 2016 7:42 PM

MAJ Robert Wilson — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 19:42:20 -0500

Eagle Scout 1971

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made Feb 18 at 2016 11:26 AM

1SG Michael Blount — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 11:26:35 -0500

Eagle Scout, Troop 478 Sunnyvale, CA 1972

Response by MSG Tim Donahue, M.Ed. made Feb 18 at 2016 1:26 PM

MSG Tim Donahue, M.Ed. — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 13:26:43 -0500

1st Class Scout before - Cubmaster and Scoutmaster after - I have 9 nine Eagle Scouts I have guided.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 18 at 2016 8:11 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 20:11:53 -0500

Girl Scout. Catholic school.....I guess it's the uniforms and the discipline.....

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 22 at 2016 10:22 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 10:22:27 -0400

Scouting made my military experience much easier. As it taught me self discipline and how to use CoC. It also gave me self confidence that I needed to succeed.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made May 20 at 2016 6:50 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 20 May 2016 18:50:04 -0400

Eagle Scout, 1994. I am sure my experiences in Scouting had an indirect effect on my decision to enlist, if not for sense of patriotism alone. If you have avid adult leaders, Scouting can help boys become strong, community-minded, citizen men who live to serve others. It seems we are raising less and less of these types of boys.

Response by CPO Nate S. made Dec 9 at 2016 10:53 AM

CPO Nate S. — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 10:53:45 -0500

Eagle Scout (Class '72) w/ Palms. Became a Hospital Corpsman because of it! Have continued to serve scouting everywhere I have been stationed and have a grandson approaching Life who will be attend 2017 Jamboree. Active as ASM in his troop and will be attending Jamboree 5th time (4th on staff and 3rd on medical staff). The leadership I learned in scouting help very much when on active duty.

I have neat story on how my scouting skills served me as an HM stationed with the Marines in Okinawa, but I'll share that later.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 1:00 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 13:00:38 -0500

Eagle Scout (Class '99) the biggest influence that I had wasn't scouting, but I can say it made it easier to work hard and stick it out.