|  The Talon August 2012 A quarterly e-newsletter for National Capital Area Council’s
Eagle Scout alumni network, Gathering of Eagles (GOE).
In This Issue…
Chairman’s Comments Brother Eagles, This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first Eagle Scout medal being awarded. And if you knew that fact then you might also know the honor went to a young man named Arthur Eldred of Troop One in Long Island, New York. Well, let me tell you a little about the man behind that first medal and the legacy he left. Troop One was fully uniformed and their appearance so impressed BSA’s first Chief Scout Executive - James E. West - that he asked the troop to serve as honor guard for a visit from Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement. Baden-Powell himself inspected Troop One, speaking with Eldred at some length. For his Eagle award, Eldred had a National Board of Review on which Chief Scout Executive James E. West served and it was West who informed Eldred of his Eagle award in a letter dated August 21, 1912. (That same letter also informed Eldred that he wouldn’t get his medal for several more weeks because…BSA had not finished designing it!) Eldred was finally presented his Eagle Scout medal on September 2, 1912, becoming the first boy to earn Scouting's highest rank, just two years after the founding of BSA itself. Thirty-two years later, Arthur watched with pride as his son, Bill, received the Eagle medal. Two of Arthur’s grandsons are Eagle Scouts and the first of his great-grandsons received Eagle in 2010 while BSA celebrated its 100th anniversary. This year, in the 100th anniversary of the first Eagle award being presented, another of Arthur Eldred’s great-grandsons has made Eagle right here in National Capital Area Council. The Eagle Scout legacy is alive and well all over the country but most especially right here in the Washington Metropolitan Area. In recognition of the countless hours of community service and leadership provided by Eagle Scouts, Rep. Pete Sessions - a Distinguished Eagle Scout and a member of the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) Committee - has sponsored a bill that would designate August 1 as National Eagle Scout Day. NESA is asking all Eagle Scouts to participate in community service on August 1 and to proudly wear their NESA and/or Eagle Scout lapel pins. I hope you’ll join me in doing so. Below you will find information about a number of ways BSA is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Eagle Scout award and our own local group of Eagles is busy planning a few special events for the fall and winter. If you’ve been looking for a way to participate or waiting to attend an event, wait no more! Best Regards, John Mason
Chairman, Gathering of Eagles
.png) A limited run of 2,000 Council Shoulder Patches (CSP) will go on sale at Marriott Scout Service Center (9190 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814) Tuesday, Sept. 4 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Eagle Scout award, which was presented to Arthur Eldred in August 1912. The CSPs will be available during regular business hours (8:30 am – 5 pm, Monday-Friday) through Dec. 31, 2012 or until the inventory is exhausted. No more CSPs of this design will be produced. Cost is $5 per CSP. To reserve your special, one-of-a-kind CSP in advance, email GOEinfo@Scouting.org with your name and complete contact details, including phone number and email address. You will receive a confirmation email that your request has been received. CSPs can be mailed to you for an additional postage charge of $2.
 GOE is currently accepting nominations for the 2012 class of Outstanding Eagle Scouts. Click HERE for the NOESA guidelines. Click HERE for the nomination form. All nominations must be submitted to GOEawards@scouting.org on/by September 30 for consideration. If you are a member of a district committee, please encourage district leaders to nominate a member of the community or worthy Scouters. Questions? Please send an email to GOEinfo@Scouting.org
Involvement from local Eagle Scouts is critical to the success of NCAC’s Gathering of Eagles. Right now, there are two events being planned for the fall/winter timeframe and plans are underway to expand and enhance GOE’s potential for 2013. If you are interested in getting more involved, email GOEinfo@scouting.org.
First, a little news from one of our own not too far away from the flock… %20-%2026JUL12.JPG) Former Gathering of Eagles Service Committee Co-Chair LCDR Michael Files is still in Haiti until the end of the year but sends his best…and continues to encourage Eagles in and around DC to participate in service projects. NCAC supported his Scouting activities in Haiti by sending a package full of patches and hand-charging flashlights. The picture shows the Haitian Scouts enjoying their gifts! In December Michael will be begin serving as the Commanding Officer at the Navy Operational Support Center in Battle Creek, Michigan. We miss you Michael and wish you well! Snyder & S’Mores = Smiles Local Eagle Scouts may not have the opportunity to do outreach in exotic places like Haiti, but there are plenty of opportunities to do as Michael encourages and give back locally. Last weekend some NCAC Eagles spent Saturday at Camp William B. Snyder (Haymarket, VA) with Cub Scouts from Washington, DC. The Eagles helped to keep the campfire burning, despite the rainy weather, so that the Scouts (pictured) could enjoy s'mores in the evening. They also taught the Scouts about fire safety. The only thing missing in this picture is you! Service Opportunity Alert Non-native, invasive plants are a real threat to habitat restoration efforts. Several vines and other vine-like plants are the worst offenders of the trails, forest, and planting sites within the Robinson Nature Center. Come out and assist in liberating trees and shrubs from the strangleholds of some alien species including Japanese Barberry & Autumn Olive. All tools and gloves are provided, however if you have a favorite pair of loppers then bring them along. Don’t forget to wear clothing you don’t mind getting dirty. Contact Eagle Scout Alex Paranicas with any questions, alex.paranicas@gmail.com. - Join Ocean Conservancy for Trash Free Seas - 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, September 15
Maryland is a part of the 27th annual International Coast Cleanup, the world's largest volunteer effort to help protect our ocean, lakes and rivers. Each year, hundreds of thousands of volunteers from around the world spend a few hours removing trash and debris from beaches, lakes, and rivers keeping track of every piece of trash they find. Ocean Conservancy uses that information to produce an annual snapshot of the problem of marine debris. Over the past 26 years, more than eight and a half million volunteers have removed 145 million pounds of trash from nearly 300,000 miles of coastline and waterways in 152 countries and locations. Gather a group or Scouts and register to be a part of the next wave of volunteers: http://www.signuptocleanup.org/. Additional statistics, graphics and photography are available at: www.oceanconservancy.org/iccmedia. Know of a service opportunity for Scouts? Looking to be part of planning a service opportunity? If you are an Eagle who has taken "Service over Self" to heart and would you like to be part of finding and participating in service opportunities throughout NCAC’s service area, CLICK HERE. If you are a registered adult leader and want to suggest a service opportunity for our Eagles, please CLICK HERE.
Parade Marks Anniversary of First Eagle Award The Theodore Roosevelt Council in New York City will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Eagle Scout award being presented with a parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 8, at Eldred Park in Rockville Center, New York. All councils are invited to send a delegation up to 25 Eagle Scouts to march in the parade. Theodore Roosevelt’s Long Island Scout Camp site is available for overnight camping accommodations at no cost. For more information, please contact John Zseller at jzseller@bsamail.org or 516-797-7600, Ext. 113.  Eagle Scouts: Merit Beyond the Badge “Eagle Scouts: Merit Beyond the Badge” is recently released, independent study funded by the Templeton Foundation and conducted by Baylor University proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that Scouting has a positive, lifelong impact on those who participate in it. Click here to read the statistics for yourself. (http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/210-045_WB.pdf) Csatari Portrait Celebrates 100 Years of Eagles Acclaimed Boy Scouts of America artist Joseph Csatari was commissioned by the National Eagle Scout Association to paint a new portrait honoring the 100th anniversary of the Eagle Scout Award. The portrait was unveiled during the BSA’s National Annual Meeting in Orlando on June 1. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to own a print of Csatari’s new work. Click here today to find out how you can order one of these Scouting treasures. Plus, watch a video on how the portrait, “100 Years of Eagle Scouts,” came to life.
Are You in the Know? NCAC’s e-newsletter - Capital Comments - is sent out on the first Friday of every month. Stay in the loop with the latest Council news and events! Click here to subscribe.
Upcoming Events
© 2012 / www.BoyScouts-NCAC.org | 
About Us
