Will Enlow and Elliott Fenton are now brother Eagle Scouts on April 23, 2012. I was given the privilege of issuing the Eagle’s Charge—a short speech followed by the Eagle Scout Pledge. Here is the text from my presentation. Portions were drawn from other Eagle Scout Courts of Honor.
Below this Eagle Charge, you’ll find an Invocation and Benediction I delivered a few years ago.
Feel free to take, edit, and use to help celebrate other Eagle Scouts.
An Eagle Charge
Neil Armstrong.
Mike Rowe.
Sam Walton.
Steven Spielberg.
[local, well-known Eagle].
[Name of Eagle Scout].
These six men are all Eagle Scouts. [Name of Eagle], your sweat, dedication, blisters, endurance, private study, weekends away, and countless Monday nights now qualify you for one of the most exclusive brotherhoods in history. You join Presidents, the highest military officers, astronauts, captains of industry, and celebrities. [Elliott, you join your father and your uncle.] Only five percent of boys who don the khaki and green achieve what you have achieved. You are an exceptional young man.
Eagle Scouts are influencers. Think about those names. Think about the ways that they’ve changed the world. Don’t doubt for one minute that you are a world changer. You. are. a. world. changer. You will impact and lead the lives around you.
The rank we bestow upon you tonight is also a warning. The rank we bestow upon you tonight carries a solemn obligation. As an Eagle Scout, you are expected to exemplify in your daily life the high principles and values expressed in the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. You have assumed a solemn obligation to do your duty to God Almighty, to the United States of America, to your fellow scouts, and to all of those who reside on this spinning ball called earth. Think about those words we all recited earlier this evening. (beat) Those are heavy words. You will carry them with you every day. They should be closer to you than your wallet, phone, and, well, your pants.
At my Eagle Scout Court of Honor, one of my Dad’s best friends and a fellow Eagle shook my hand and said, “Mark, watch how you live because if you mess up, we will come and strip that medal from your chest.” He quickly laughed and pulled me into a hug, but his meaning was clear—wear your medal well.
[Name of Eagle], when others find out about your achievement, your actions will become conspicuous. Some will hand you two sticks and challenge you to start a fire… in your boss’ office. Some will quietly watch from afar to see if you behave like a man of honor. One of the definitions of integrity is: “your integrity is who you are when no one is watching.” I challenge you to be the same in public… and in private. Maintain the high regard our nation holds for her Eagles. Don’t bring discredit to yourselves or your fellow Eagles.
You will mess up. I’ve messed up. And those who watch us want to see how we’ll respond. As one leader put it, “What matters most is what you do next.” You have faced hardships and road blocks on your way to this auspicious evening. Show the grit and tenacity in the future that you’ve shown to get here.
[2012 is an election year. And I believe you both will vote for the first time in November]. I challenge you to undertake your citizenship with solemn dedication. Participate in our republic. Vote. Debate. Stay abreast of the issues. And someday, perhaps, you may choose to govern by running for office. Be a leader, but lead only toward the best. Lift up every task you do, and every office you hold, with a high level of faith in Almighty God and service to your fellow man. Build your community, your state, and your nation on the solid foundations of integrity, work ethic, unselfishness, and reverence to Almighty God. Then, whatever others may do, you will leave a legacy—a legacy you can be proud of.
Or as my favorite songwriter Rich Mullins wrote much more poetically:
Let love be the strength in your legs
And in every footprint that you leave
There’ll be a drop of grace
Let mercy lead
(words and music by Rich Mullins and Beaker; Copyright 1995, Kid Brothers of St. Frank)
[Name of Eagle], it’s time. As an Eagle Scout candidate will you now take the Eagle Scout pledge? Please stand.
I know there are a number of other Eagle Scouts here with us tonight. Will you gentlemen stand with me and reaffirm your pledge?
Give the Scout Sign and repeat after me, line by line, in unison:
The Eagle Scouts in the audience may now be seated.
I hereby charge you to enter this Eagle Scout brotherhood holding ever before you, without reservation, the ideals of honor and service. By repeating of the Eagle Scout pledge before your fellow Eagles, you have become an Eagle Scout. Though the words you just spoke are similar to those you uttered when you joined Scouting, today they mean more than they ever could have meant at that time… Or any time in the past.
The words at the end of the Eagle Scout Pledge—”To this, I pledge my sacred honor”—are the same words penned at the end of the Declaration of Independence. By making this pledge, you have sealed your eternal loyalty to the code of the Eagle Scout.
As one Eagle Scout to another, I, [insert your name], by the authority vested in me by the National Court of Honor of the Boy Scouts of America, assume the privilege and pleasure of pronouncing you an Eagle Scout. May the oath you have taken remain true in your heart.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Scouts and Scouters, I present to you Eagle Scout [Name of Eagle].
[Lead the Applause]
Invocation and Benediction for Eagle Scout Courts of Honor
W. Mark Whitlock, the author, receiving his Eagle Scout in Troop 70, Atlanta Area Council. Also pictured, Ramona and Bill Whitlock. Scoutmaster Charles Huppuch in the background.
Last night, I participated in the Court of Honor for two new Eagle Scouts—Ben Sundell and Luke Keller. Both young men labored long and hard to achieve the highest rank in Scouting. Like a wedding reminds married couples of their vows, so an Eagle Court of Honor reminds aging Eagles of their achievements. Like a wedding helps married couples see how far they’ve come and how much they’ve grown, so an Eagle Court of Honor shines a light on the years that have passed since being pinned with their medals.
As I prepared the invocation and benediction for this ceremony, I asked myself, “What did you want and need to hear in 1984?”
Here’s the invocation prayer from last night:
Holy God,You forged the hills and mountains these two young men have hiked and climbed.From You flow the rivers these young men have paddled.Your hands formed the lakes and oceans these two have gone swimming in and gone sailing on.You know each animal and plant they have watched with wonder.You protected these men from the elements, provided the food to cook and eat, and empowered the fires that warmed them.You are the one who sharpens their minds every day to learn skills and facts, knots and first aid, how to lead and how to follow.It is You, who through your Son Jesus, gave us the ultimate example of servanthood and sacrifice.Holy God, make Your presence known to us tonight. Set this time apart from all the busyness of our lives. And implant rich, memories, richer than a Peter Jackson movie, into our minds—especially the minds of these two men—that can be carried forever.Blaze our trail tonight, oh God, and lead us with Your light.Amen
In the middle of the ceremony, Luke and Ben had to repeat the Eagle Scout Pledge. All Eagle Scouts in attendance stood and recited the words as well. I had not reflected on these words since I raised my right hand in the Scout sign and repeated them 21 years ago. They are mighty words to be reminded of daily.
I reaffirm my allegiance to the three promises of the Scout Oath.I thoughtfully recognize and take upon myself the obilgations and responsibilities of the rank of Eagle Scout.On my honor, I will do my best to make my training an example, my rank and influence count strongly for better scouting and for better citizenship, in my troop, in my community, and in my contacts with other people.To this, I pledge my sacred honor.
Benedictions are often misunderstood as closing prayers. They are intended to be charges and blessings to those listening. I invited all Scouts (present and past) and Scouters (adult leaders) to circle the two Eagles as I offered this benediction:
Always remember that the LORD gives strength to those who are weary. Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall.But those who trust the LORD will find new strength.They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on broad wings;They will walk and run without getting tired.May you soar.May God’s breath fill your wings and carry you to your destinies.May you continue to grow in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man.May you keep yourselves physically strong, mentally awake, morally straight.May you lead by influence and not title alone. May you lead with that tenuous mix of humility, strength, example, and force.May you build into the lives of other young men—future Eagles—for all of your days.And… may the great Scoutmaster of all Scouts be with us until we meet again.Amen
I hope that I can live my life in light of the truth of these words—the Invocation, the Pledge, and the benediction. May it be true of all of us.