I’ve been to a lot of Eagle Ceremonies. Probably hundreds. It’s customary for dignitaries to write letters to Eagle Scouts. Eagles get letters of congratulations from current and former US Presidents. They get them from members of Congress, governors, mayors, and state legislators. Mike Rowe’s Eagle Scout Letter is quite popular. But for the most part, they’re pretty standard. Generally, the boy’s parents or the leadership in the troop writes away to people the boy admires to request the congratulatory letter.
Sometimes all you have to do is ask. Bryan on Scouting has a great article on how to request Eagle Letters. But every once in a while, you see one that sticks out. This one came across my Facebook feed tonight from a very proud mom.
An Eagle Scout Letter from Bill Belichick
New Eagle Scout Adam Tripplett got one he’ll certainly never forget. His mom Cheryl went big. She wrote to Coach Bill Belichick requesting an Eagle Scout letter.
Recently, Adam completed his Eagle Project. He raised money to provide a local Veteran’s Home with exercise equipment (also building a jump box) for rehabilitating servicemen. He also installed a flag pole and solar light in the front yard; and if that wasn’t enough, he created new doors for an old storage shed out back to keep the equipment and weight set in. With the remaining funds, he bought them a grill and grilling utensils. That’s an impressive project, to say the least.
So Cheryl included a description of his project in her letter to the coach. She let Belichick know what a big fan Adam was, and put an Eagle sticker on the outside of the envelope. And dropped it in the mail, to:
Bill Belichick
Gillette Stadium
1 Patriot Place
Foxboro, MA 02035-1388
And two a half weeks later, they got the letter below back in the mail from Patriot Place and the Five-Time Super Bowl winning coach.
As with anything, you never know what you’ll get, until you ask. So the next time you’re getting ready for that next Eagle Ceremony in the troop, think a little bit outside the box and see who you can get.
Belichick Photo by Keith Allison 