Boy Scouts of America

143 Merit Badges | 24 Eagle Palms

Still early in my scouting career, having already received the highest honor of Eagle, I made the decision to continue. Unlike the many boys that receive their Eagle and move on to other things, I wanted to continue learning and having similar experiences. So a set a new goal for myself to get ALL the Merit Badges. The next five years I earned merit badges anywhere I could. I went to powwows, scout camps, jamborees, and others. I learned to fingerprint, cycled over 150 miles, learned to identify plants, received my scuba diving Open Water Certification, and so much more. I traveled to West Virginia, Michigan, and all over Utah to get them. It was a time of learning and exploration. And in the end I was successful. 

Boy Scouts can earn merit badges up to their 18th birthday, and I pushed that limit as far as I could. I signed of my last merit badge, Bird Watching, number 143, a day or two before I turned 18. I received four that were only available in 2010, marked with gold borders. I earned cinematography, which was discontinued, and then brought back as Movie Making, which I also received. I worked on merit badges as they were announced, like Signs, Signals, & Codes, and Exploration. I worked on merit badges that almost no one has, Soil and Water Conservation. I learned about a plethora of topics, I experienced them, saw them in action. I learned what I liked, and what I didn't like. In the end, the badges themselves are just a bunch of circles sewn onto a sash that will spend most of its remaining days in a closet somewhere. But the memories and experiences that I had during these years were the best I could have asked for.

Eagle Palms are awarded for every 3 months, and 5 additional merit badges beyond those required for Eagle. This also includes retroactively earned merit badges. With all this time and work put into earning every possible merit badge, I was able to receive the maximum of Eagle Palms Possible. 24