Are Eagle palms ranks?

[jhawk]

Are Eagle palms considered to be ranks? The pages in the handbook for palms are in the section with the other rank requirement sign-off sheets, but do they count as rank? In other words, does an Eagle with palms outrank an Eagle with none? Not interested in using the info to "pull rank" on any one...just curious as to opinions and/or policy.

[jr56]

I don't think palms are ranks. An Eagle is still an Eagle, no matter how many palms he has.

[wagionvigil]

Palms are not a rank!

[jhawk]

What are they then? I'm not being armumentative, but they are listed under rank advancement on this site and in the scout handbook. They aren't awards. So what the heck are they then if not rank? This topic is called "Ranks" and it lists Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, Eagle, and Palms....

[WeeWillie]

Try Achievements. If they were ranks, they would be seperate badges for the uniforms.

[PaulSWolf]

Recognitions for continued leadership, tenure, and achievements (merit badges earned) after receiving the Eagle Scout Badge.

They aren't ranks, but are treated as if they were (SM Conferences and Boards of Review).

[scouter01]

Are Eagle palms considered to be ranks? The pages in the handbook for palms are in the section with the other rank requirement sign-off sheets, but do they count as rank? In other words, does an Eagle with palms outrank an Eagle with none? Not interested in using the info to "pull rank" on any one...just curious as to opinions and/or policy.

good. it is really annoying when poeple in my troop do that.

[jhawk]

You have scouts who try to outrank others because they have palms? Or do you mean you have someone at Star saying they outrank someone at first class? Because if that is the case, they DO outrank them. Say you went on a campout and the SPL, ASPL, and PL and assistants aren't along for some reason. The highest ranking scout would be the campout SPL, or one of them would be if there were more than one to pick from. In our troop, it is just part of being boy run. The higher ranks are expected to help lower ranking scouts advance. In turn, the lower ranking scouts should have some respect for those who have already accomplished a higher rank, don't you think? I don't mean groveling-- just some respect for having a higher rank. It isn't different really from having respect for and following directives from patrol leaders or the SPL, etc., is it?

[PPC_NYLT]

One could only hope that the leaders and older scouts in the troop would get the respect thats due, however ive found that not to be the case. I try to find comfort in the fact that what i am teaching them will help them in their life to come, but thats just me and my twisted mind...

[joat]

See pages 14 and 15 of the Boy Scout Handbook. "The highest rank is Eagle."
Page 161: "After becoming an Eagle Scout, you will certainly want to continue taking part in activities with your troop, and you may continue earning merit badges. The BSA recognizes achievements beyond the Eagle Scout rank by awarding Eagle Palms."

[PT]

In my Council, palms are recorded as rank advancment, are submitted by units on Advancement Forms, and counted as rank advancements in Council advancement statistics.

[scoutmasterbob]

In order to earn a palm you have to meet requirements like being active in your troop for 6 months, earning a specific number merit badges and then you must appear before a board of revue before you can be awarded the palm.
It sure sounds like a rank to me

[bearpatrolleaderinctown]

no they r not ranks if they were there would be a patch and you would only be able to get each one once, instead they are a pin like thing and you can recive more than one as others have said

[Ron S]

Becoming an Eagle Scout is a journey, not a destination. Eagle Palms help keep a young man interested in the program after he reaches the rank of Eagle (a little extra journey, if you will). Palms are in no way a rank.

[ilduncans]

It's an interesting question ... if relatively unimportant. The answer certainly has to have some context around it.

There are some contexts for which Eagle Palms are considered a rank. As a district advancement chairman above alludes to, for the purposes of units reporting advancement to the council, as well as for reports on advancement in the district or council as a whole. It is similar for the now outdated quality unit criteria for percent of youth advancing in rank within a given year. For these three separate contexts, (and there are undoubtedly more) Eagle Palms are considered a rank.

For the youth perspective with regard to the requirements for a Scoutmaster conference and a Board of Review, Eagle Palms are treated as only rank advancements are, so the answer is, at best, ambiguous.

As in many postings above, however, there are other contexts in which Palms are absolutely -not- a rank. When one becomes a Star Scout, one ceases to be a First Class Scout, but when one earns a Bronze Palm, one certainly does -not- cease to be an Eagle Scout. Ranks are (generally) identified by oval patches, (Eagle medal notwithstanding), but not so with Palms.

So what's the bottom line? The bottom line is that this is an excellent question to start a kafuffle with, opening the door for a prolonged philosophical debate on what it is about a rank that makes it a rank – (perhaps an oval-shaped patch isn’t it), and can there really be more than one answer to a yes-or-no question.

As it stands, both answers are right, given the appropriate context, and similarly, both answers are wrong.

[joat]

Interesting thoughts, but still there is not even the most remote suggestion in any Scout publication that an Eagle Palm is a "rank", and specific references that it is not.