Welcome to a New Eagle

____________________, as a representative of the Eagle Scouts of the ____________ Council, I wish to welcome you to the brotherhood of Eagle Scouts. Little more than two per cent of the boys who enter Scouting achieve what you have done. The requirements are demanding, but fair. Your achievement is recognition of your perseverance and ability.

But I am not here to talk of your past accomplishments, which are great, but of your future opportunities. ___ years ago, I received my Eagle Award, and in those years it has constantly enriched my life. It will enrich yours, also. Of course, when you go to a Scouting function, you will be recognized as a doer and your will have the opportunity of standing as an equal among the leaders.

But I think that your Eagle Award will go far beyond Scouting itself. When you are applying to go to college or to get a good job, Eagle Scout on the application helps. I know, because it helped me.

More than that, the things your have done, the leadership and sense of honor you have developed, will stand you in better stead than a certificate and a piece of ribbon in a drawer. You will have more opportunity to be of service to your fellows, through your school, your work, and Scouting, because you know what you can do.

In the years to come, you will casually meet people who are Eagles, too, and there is an instant bond of comradeship. You have each shared a common experience. You each know the other can be trusted, as a friend or a worker. The comradeship among Eagles extends throughout the nation and wherever you go, in the world of Scouting, or in the larger world beyond. For the rest of your life, you travel as a marked man, an Eagle Scout! Welcome!