Carpenter Nathan Gilbert grew up in the Boy Scout program. Starting as a Cub Scout and finishing as an Eagle Scout, he has fond memories and a lot of life lessons. To this day, the Scouts are still near and dear to his heart.
Starting as a Boy Scout
Nathan got into the Scout program at an early age, starting his journey as a Cub Scout. As an introduction to the Boy Scouts program, Nathan learned basic skills like how to cook safely, how to be around fires, basic first aid, and how to handle knives.
Nathan loved it so much that he continued through to Boy Scouts. At this level, merit badges became the focus, with some badges being mandatory (first aid, government, and swimming) for example), and others being elective.
Reaching Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest honor for Boy Scouts, and Nathan earned the title. His Eagle Scout project involved taking the paper layout of a veteran’s cemetery and turning it into a digital file. He recorded all of the veteran’s names and their locations and turned the digital file over to the American Legion. He also replaced the old markers that symbolized the veteran’s resting place and replaced them with new markers, allowing Boy Scout troops to replace the American Flags each year.
Scouts Are Full of Life Skills
Nathan believes that Boys Scouts is full of life lessons. He believes the main takeaway from a journey through the Boy Scouts program is leadership, but also self-sufficiency, communication, and situational awareness and control.
These are lessons he hopes his daughters will learn when they join the Girl Scouts. In fact, Nathan’s father is still a troop leader, his niece, Audrey, is a Brownie Scout, and his sister helps with the troop as well. He hopes his niece will take leadership, confidence, and problem-solving skills away from her time in the Girl Scouts.
The Scouts Are Still Out There
Nathan wants people to know that the scouts are still out there. He believes the program can still teach a lot of life lessons and be plenty of fun. He encourages people to check out a local troop and give it a try.